The Sons of Gwalia GM near Leonora has the unenviable position as having more deaths per number of miners than any other gold mine in Western Australia. This article shows that only a few years into production (May 1901) it was already proving a dangerous place to work.

This company, which is generally known as ‘Grizly Gwalia’, owing to the unenviable notoriety it has gained as a death trap for its employees, was registered in London in January 1898. Its original area consisted of 168 acres, made up of seven blocks of 24 acres each. The original authorised capital was £300,000, in £1 shares, of which the vendors collared the mere flea bite of £250,000, leaving the balance of £50,000 to provide working capital. In May 1901 the capital was increased to £350,000, by the creation of 50,000 new Shares. Of these shares 18,000 were given in exchange for a fresh lot of 168 acres of salt bush scrub, misnamed gold leases, over which the company acquired a twelve months option a year previously.
The company is now blessed, or cursed, with 611 acres, or nearly a square mile of W. A. territory. Under the circumstances the company is fairly entitled to call itself the ‘Sons of Gwalia Estates’. This enlargement of area shows great consideration for the impetuosity of the W.A. Government, as the company now pays £611 a year into the Treasury for rent, the greater part for land which is absolutely worthless, either to the country or to the company. Pegging out leases and granting options to the company may appear to be a fair and square deal to the uninitiated, but to insiders it proves the marvellous cuteness of the Bewick-Moreing crowd.

The following men lost their lives On the Sons of Gawlia GM:- Seven died before this article appeared in the paper in 1901 in just over three years.

Surname First Name Age Occupation Date of Death
ADAMS Philip Uphill 34 Miner 19/06/1901
ARRIGONI Daniele 38 Trucker 19/06/1901
BACANALLI Luigi Miner 27/07/1901
BALDUZZI Guglielmo 23 Miner 13/08/1901
BARTAI Peter 22 Miner 7/07/1904
BENDOTTI Pietro 29 Miner 5/06/1905
BLEWETT Samuel James 37 Miner 25/11/1905
BONFANTI Raimondo 26 Miner 10/01/1906
BOWDEN William Leslie 22 Miner 10/01/1906
BROWN Francis William 28 Shoveller 30/09/1906
BURKE William A Shoveller 30/09/1906
CAMADINI Bortollo C 35 Carpenter 28/04/1907
CASTELLANELLI Pietro 56 Battery Worker 25/08/1907
CECCHINI Guiseppe 44 Mullocker 12/10/1907
CLIMIE Murray Felix Austin 27 Miner 4/12/1907
COLLINS George 42 Miner 14/09/1900
COLOMBO Louis 71 Miner 31/10/1908
CONTESSA Bernardo 46 Shoveller 20/07/1909
CROSSLEY George David 40 Miner 11/10/1909
DAVEY Robert William 31 Miner 19/10/1909
DE RUBEIS Ernesto 55 Miner 7/06/1910
DELLA MADDALENA Pietro Surveyor 22/05/1911
DONINI Augustino 21 Miner 22/05/1911
DOWLING William Joseph 26 Assistant Surveyor 22/05/1911
DUNCAN William Charles 68 Miner 24/05/1911
EVANS Griffith 27 Miner 11/07/1911
FACCINI Lorenzo 27 Miner 13/07/1911
FASANINI Andrea 29 Miner 10/08/1911
FELSTEAD Alfred A 35 Prospector 19/11/1911
FOLEY John Edward 22 Miner 5/12/1911
FOXALL John Desmond 20 Miner 2/12/1912
GRAZIOLI Angelo 58 Miner 7/10/1913
HADDOW Archibald D 47 Machine Miner 5/08/1914
HERRIOT(T) George 46 Miner 25/03/1915
JACKSON Charles Herbert 23 Miner 11/11/1915
JOHNSON Edward Albert 46 Skipman 26/02/1917
KOUZMIN Ivan 35 Miner 27/08/1919
LARESE Antonio 22 Mullocker 27/08/1924
LAWFORD George Miner 25/05/1925
LEYDEN James P 28 Shoveller 17/01/1927
LILLEY William 40 Miner 28/03/1927
LOFTES

(First Recorded death at the Sons of Gwalia GM)

Robert 24 Miner 26/07/1927
LUBA Fortunato (Frank) 31 Miner 27/05/1929
LUCAS Percy 57 Miner 20/06/1930
MADDALENA Peter Della Miner 25/08/1930
MARTIN Graham Barry 24 Miner 10/11/1930
MARTINOVICH Ilija 37 Miner 1/01/1932
MARZINOTTO Francesco Pietro 22 Miner 4/01/1932
MCCALLUM John 73 Machine Miner 8/09/1932
MCNERNEY John W Miner 3/04/1934
MENATO Attilio 46 Machine Miner 26/06/1934
MOLLOY Michael 58 Machine Miner 26/06/1934
MONDINI Antonio 46 Miner 13/08/1934
PEARCE John Thomas 38 Miner 23/08/1934
PELLEGRINELLI Giacomo 40 Rail Guard 25/05/1935
PIAZZANI Bortolo 55 Miner 11/07/1935
PICCINI Bortolo 33 Labourer/Fireman 4/07/1936
PIRIE Gregory Marshall 55 Miner 12/11/1936
PRITCHARD Morgan Roderick 47 Miner 14/01/1938
RATCLIFFE Joseph 48 Miner 5/05/1939
RICCARDI Tomaso 47 Mill Foreman 19/03/1942
ROBERTSON Douglas John 33 Miner 23/07/1942
ROONEY Francis George 26 Machine Miner 8/11/1946
RULE Jonothan 49 Miner 24/02/1947
SCOLARI Guiseppe 55 Horse Driver 7/11/1947
SENDO Ante 40 Miner 18/07/1949
TAGLIAFERRI Giovanni 29 Miner 4/09/1950
TAGLIAFERRI Alessandro 25 Timberman 1/06/1951
TAIT William Henry 61 Timberman/Engineer 1/06/1951
TAMBURRINO Guiseppe 34 Shoveller 1/06/1951
TOMASETTI Bob 47 Bogger 14/01/1952
TRINCA Guiseppe 28 Miner 29/11/1954
VANEK Jaromir 25 Skipman 4/05/1955
VENOSTA Guiseppe 22 Machine Miner 7/03/1956
VLAIEVLJEVICH Dane 58 Loco Driver 11/04/1956
VUKMANOVICH Milo 50 Mullocker 20/03/1957
WHITFORD William 19 Miner 17/12/1958
WINDSOR Frederick 54 Prospector 25/06/1960
YOVICH Luka 57 Diamond Driller 16/06/1995
ZANNI Ettore 25 Miner 03/08/1898
ZANOTTI Luigi 29 Miner 27/04/1899
ZANOTTI Andrea 33 Engine Room worker 8/12/1906

 

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