John Goyne

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Background

Goldfields Involvement, 1854

Post 1854 Experiences

Obituary

DEATH OF MR JOHN GOYNE, J.P.
Bendigonians will learn with regret of the death of Mr. John Goyne, J.P., who passed away at Pakenham, near Melbourne, yesterday at 4.30 a.m. The deceased gentleman, who was 81 years of age, had been ailing for some time past, and about a fortnight ago, yielding to the advice of his medical adviser, he took a trip to Pakenham. He, however, did not improve in health, and died as stated.
The life of the late Mr. Goyne was full of incident, and by his death another link binding past and present generations of Bendigonians has been severed. Mr. Goyne was a native of St. Agnes, Cornwall, where he was born in 1826. He was married on 24th May, 1847, at Truro, a well-known Cornish town, to Miss Letcher, and there were several children by the union. The deceased gentleman spent some years ac-quiring a practical knowledge in the Cornish mines. In 1853 he left his native land and sailed for Australia. Arriving in Victoria in 1854, he proceeded to Creswick where he remained for a few months, afterwards leaving for the Ballarat diggings, where he witnessed the memorable struggle between the military forces and the diggers at the Eureka Stockade. Later on Mr. Goyne returned to Creswick, where he experienced the usual vicissitudes of a digger's life. It was in the early part of 1856, after prospecting on the Daisy Hill and Fryerstown rushes, that he came to Bendigo. He worked at Epsom and White Hills for a couple of years, and in 1858 he embarked on an enterprise which was destined to play an important part in the future mining operations on the field. Mr. Goyne, ever of an inventive turn of mind, recognised that considerable gold was lost in the use of the old gauze wire gratings in the batteries, and he decided to introduce a finer and more effectual grating. Thus, while the old type of grating contained some 36 small punctured holes to the square inch, Mr. Goyne's improved pattern com-prised 49. Gradually this grating was fur-ther improved, until the square inch contained 64 perforations, then 81, and so on until Mr. Goyne succeeded in producing a standard with 290 perforations to the square inch—the finest made. A steady demand for the grating set in, and Mr. Goyne's works at Epsom became well known to min-ing companies throughout the Commonwealth. Orders have poured in for years past from distant parts such as Batavia, South Africa, New Zealand, the Straits Settlement, and other places, where the efficiency of the Epsom grating has long been acknowledged.
The deceased gentleman ever displayed an active interest in the affairs of his own district, and was a member of the Huntly Shire Council for many years. He occupied the Presidential chair for two or three terms. He was created a justice of the peace many years ago, and frequently presided at the Huntly Police Court.
Mrs. Goyne died some years ago. There are two sons — Messrs. John and Frank Goyne — who are connected with the grating business at Epsom. Three daughters — Mrs. A. G. Hartley (Prahran), Mrs. S. H. McGowan (Bendigo), and Mrs. J. Woodburn (Epsom) —are left to mourn their loss. The remains will be brought to Bendigo by the afternoon train to-day, and conveyed to the deceased gentleman's late residence at Epsom. The funeral will take place to-morrow, moving at 3 o'clock for interment in the White Hills Cemetery.[1]

See also

Benden Sherritt Hassell Compensation Case

Further Reading

References

  1. Bendigo Advertiser, 25 July 1907.

External links