William Mitchell

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Walter E. Pidgeon, Illustration from The Eureka Stockade by Raffaello Carboni, Sunnybrook Press, 1942, offset print.
Art Gallery of Ballarat, purchased 1994.

Background

William Mitchell arrived in Victoria in 1852.[1] He died in January 1913.

Goldfields Involvement, 1854

William Mitchell fought inside the Eureka Stockade.

Post 1854 Experiences

Obituary

AN OLD PIONEER, FOUGHT AT EUREKA STOCKADE.
LONGREACH (Q.). Thursday.
The funeral of the late Mr Wm Mitchell took place to day. Mr Mitchell landed in Victoria in 1852 and was among, the first in the rush to Bendigo and Ballarat. He took part In the fighting at the Eureka Stockade. He worked his way up from Victoria through New South Wales to Queensland and was at St George in 1863. Leaving there when Gympie broke out he worked on practically every mining field in Queensland. He went to New Caledonia in 1875 returning to New South Wales in 1877 and Oueensland In 1879 and lived in this State ever since. He was over 75 years of age.[2]


DEATH OF AN OLD COLONIST

Death has removed a colonist of many years' standing in the person of Mr W. Mitchell, snr. who expired after a brief illness in Rockhampton on Saturday last. The body was brought to Longreach and interred on Tuesday morning, the burial service being read by the Rev Mr Parke. The funeral cortege was a very lengthy one. The late Mr Mitchell was born in Plymouth but was reared in Cornwall. With his father and brother he landed in Victoria in 1850 or 1851 as far as can be ascertained with accuracy. He was in the first rush in 1851 to Ballarat and Bendigo and mr Gill of Longreach can remember him working there in 1852. He took part in the Eureka stockade affair. it is only a week or two back that Mrs Hamilton, one of his daughters who is the wife of the member for Gregory, paid a visit to Ballarat and revisited the places at Ballarat of which her father occasionally spoke. In 1862 he was in New South Wales shearing and well sinking on Moombah. In 1863 he was in St George but when Gympie broke out he went there. Mr S Mahoney knew him on Gympie and can remember him defeating a large number in a wrestling contest there. He went to every mining field in this State, including the Palmer and Copperfield. He married in Gympie in 1868. In 1875 he went to New Caledonia and was in the nickel mines there. One of his children was born there. He took ill there and after eighteen months was back in New South Wales in 1877, returning to Queensland in 1879. He did a lot of contract work in the St George and Roma districts and in 1888 came to Barcaldine and then to Dare River Downs. In 1893 he removed to Longreach, but soon after took up Hollymount selection. He held this for many years, but disposed of it to Mr H White and then bought Rio. After some time he sold Rio and lived privately in Longreach. A couple of months back he went down with his family to Emu Park for a holiday. When in Rockhampton after Xmas he was taken ill but made light of his illness and returned to the Park. He grew worse and Dr Voss who was called in, recommended his removal to Hillcrest. He was only in there a couple of days when the end came. Mr Mitchell had attained the ripe age of 75. He leaves a family of 13 all grown up. Mr Mitchell was one of those bluff hearty men who always looked on the bright side of life; he was always cheery no matter what the circumstances were. His familiar figure will be sadly missed here. Many telegrams and messages of sympathy were received by the relatives in their bereavement.[3]

See also

Eureka Stockade

Further Reading

Corfield, J., Wickham, D., & Gervasoni, C. The Eureka Encyclopaedia, Ballarat Heritage Services, 2004.

References

  1. Sydney Morning Herald, Previous 10 January 1913.
  2. Sydney Morning Herald, Previous 10 January 1913.
  3. Scrapbook newspaper cutting dated 11 January 1913

External links