Information in this column is from the South Australian Index of Births and Deaths and the Burra Burial Register

Date in  this column is the date the obituary was published in The Burra Record

A

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B

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Barker, William Pitt

Born 30 Jan. 1845

Died 17 Feb. 1914

Headstone on Plot 336

Burra Cemetery

25 Feb. 1914

Obituary.  William Pitt Barker of Baldina died on 17 February.  Mr Barker lived all his life in the district.  As a youth he spent some time in the Bank of Australasia in Kooringa before going to manage Baldina Station with his father.  He subsequently inherited the property.  He also was partner in Barker & McLean, owners of Nor’-West Bend Station at Morgan and had large interests in stations in Queensland (Cormornigan) and in NSW.  He was a member of the Burra District Council for over 25 years and was for a similar time on the Board of the Burra Hospital.  He was interested in sport and was one of the syndicate, which gave us the Aberdeen sports grounds.  He was also a generous supporter of St Mary’s church and a generous, but quiet philanthropist.  He was a brother of R.J. Barker of Barker Bros and of A.J. Barker (Mt Bryan) and Mrs H. Von Rieben (Payneham).  He leaves a widow, four daughters (including Mrs Hooper) and one son

Batchelor, William Henry

Died 25 August 1889

Headstone on Plot 234

Burra Cemetery

27 Aug. 1889

Obituary. W.H. Batchelor has died aged 59.  We understand he left Portsmouth, England 35 years ago and came to Burra where he worked at the mine as a painter etc.  After some time he began in business in Commercial St.

[He dealt in a wide range of articles: fancy goods, musical instruments, toys, dolls, books, stationery, brushware, paints, varnishes and paperhangings.]  He was an active member of the Masonic and Oddfellows Lodges and was for a time a Town Councillor.  He leaves a widow, two sons, one married daughter and two single daughters.

Batchelor, Elizabeth Franks

Died 3 March 1894

7 Mar. 1894

Obituary.  Mrs Batchelor died at Commercial St Kooringa last Saturday, aged 66.  She conducted business here for many years

Belcher, Joseph Moulden

13 January 1882

Obituary.  Mr Joseph Moulden Belcher, for many years post and telegraph master at Burra and who retired about a year ago, died 3 January in North Adelaide.  He had a stroke some time ago and just before his death suffered two more.  His eldest son is the post and telegraph master at Terowie.

Bennett, George

Died 14 March 1878

Headstone plot 13

Burra Cemetery

22 March 1878

Obituary. George Bennett, one of the oldest inhabitants of Burra who arrived in 1845. He was buried with full Masonic honours, being a member of Kooringa Lodge No. 585 E.C.

Bennett, Nicholas Dunstan

Died 20 Feb. 1915

24 Feb. 1915

Obituary.  Nicholas Dunstan Bennett died suddenly at Nailsworth on Saturday.  The deceased was born at Constantine, Norfolk in 1834 and arrived in Adelaide in January 1856 on the Marion after a voyage of 113 days.  He went to the Victorian diggings for five months before coming to work in the Burra Mine.  Later he opened a school at Black Springs and in 1859 took charge of the Government school at Redruth and in 1860 bought the goodwill of Mr Forder’s school.  Five years later he became clerk of Moonta Local Court and filled various Government positions for the next 27 years, retiring in 1892 to Nailsworth.  Four sons and one daughter survive: A.D. Bennett, Dr T.C. Bennett, Dr A.H. Bennett (Hampstead), C.E. Bennett (Adelaide) and Mrs Frank Wilkinson (Perth)

Bennetts, Mary nee Ellery

31 Jan. 1900

Obituary.  The wife of Mr James Bennetts has died at Broken Hill on 24 January, aged 58.  She was born near Austell, Cornwall, and migrated with her parents, Mr & Mrs E. Ellery, as a young child.  They settled in Burra, living for some time in a creek dugout.  In 1857 she married James Bennetts and they lived in Burra (except for a brief time at Wallaroo) till 1887, when they moved to Broken Hill.  She leaves a husband, four sons and one daughter: Harry, Thomas and Edward at Broken Hill and Alfred at Kooringa and Mrs A.B. Wood of Broken Hill.  She was for over 40 years a member of the Bible Christian Church.

Birt, William

Died 24 Feb. 1890

Headstone plot 192

Burra Cemetery

4 Mar. 1890

Obituary.  Mr William Birt of Hampton arrived in the colony in Sep. 1847 and came to Burra in October 1849 where he became foreman carpenter at the Burra Mine.  In the Victorian Goldrush of 1852 he went with the rest, but was not very successful and came back to his old job.  Later he worked at the old smelting works and at the Bon Accord Mine as well as working on his own account as a builder.  One of his last jobs was the large store occupied by James Tiver in Aberdeen.  He died in his 84th year

Blatchford, James

Died 10 Sept. 1901 in Adelaide

7 Aug. 1901

Obituary.  Former Bible Christian pioneer James Blachford, an old resident of the huts in the Burra Creek, has died and a memorial service was conducted by Rev. W.F. James at Redruth Methodist Church last Sunday.

James Blachford was born at Stoke Climsland, Cornwall, 2 December 1808 and began work at the age of 7 for 18d a month.  His mother died when he was 13, leaving a brother aged 9 and a sister aged 11.  The father left the children to care for themselves.  James eventually went to live at a public house and dancing and wrestling were his favourite pastimes.  At 24 he married Eliza Skinner.  He never went to school, but learned to read and write.  At 26 he converted to the Bible Christian Church at Tinhay in Devon.  A few years later he was widowed with two small boys and subsequently married Charity Jury who survives him.  He began to preach and soon a chapel to seat 200 was built.  Early in 1847 he spoke to James Torr, an uncle of Dr Torr of Way College and they decided to go to SA which was much talked of in England on account of the Burra Mine.  Torr went first and Blachford followed in May 1847.  He preached on the ship with revivalist fervour.  The ship arrived in September 1847.  His family shared a building with the Torr family for three months before starting out for Burra in a bullock dray: a journey that took six days.  They lived in a large room at the mine shared by many families for many weeks before Blachford dug a hut in the bank on the north side of Welsh Creek near the Smelting Works.  There were then some 4,000 in Burra and two churches: a Wesleyan and an Anglican.  The Primitive Methodists held services, but lacked a parson and a church.  Blachford met John Stephens whom he had known in England and they decided to hold prayer meetings at Stephen’s home near Redruth where it seems there were then no services.  Before this could happen Thomas & John Pelew, John Halse, and many other Bible Christians arrived from England.  Thomas Pellew was appointed Class Leader and 15 persons attended the first Sunday morning.  James Blachford preached his first sermon in the open air about 52 years ago.  John Halse, John Pellew and Blachford preached in turn.  After vainly trying to get land at Redruth and Aberdeen, a site near the present Kingston st Bridge was obtained from the mine Directors at a peppercorn rent.  After difficulties a church to seat 200 was built.  Mrs Blachford sewed the calico ceiling.  All bills were paid as due.  A Sunday school was established and a choir formed.  There were many conversions and 47 members.  All this was accomplished before the first two Bible Christian ministers arrived in December 1850.  They found a large congregation, a church worth £400 with a debt of only £30 that did not bear interest.  Rev. James Row settled in Burra and succeeded well till the Victorian gold rush which took almost all the men to the diggings.  James Blachford went twice, where he did well briefly and preached too.  On returning to Burra he was a butcher near the Primitive Methodist Church in Kooringa before moving to Upper Wakefield.  Here he slowly built a congregation and a church was built and a Sunday school conducted by him for over ten years.  From Wakefield he moved to Watervale and kept a store where he gave good service to the church and contributions to the circuit rose from £20 to £80 p.a.  23 years ago he went to Adelaide and stayed there the rest of his life.  In his 86th year he would preach three times a Sunday, walking to his appointments.  He continued to attend Class Meetings in Gilbert St after his 92nd birthday.  His son Henry was his sole support and he died tragically in January.  James Blachford died on 10 September in his 93rd year

C

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Cave, Dr.

10 February 1882

Obituary.  Dr Cave, late of Burra, died at Brompton on Saturday only a few weeks after his wife’s death.

Cave, John Darby

Died 20 Nov. 1899

Redruth, Burra

Headstone plot 83

Burra Cemetery

25 Oct. 1899

Obituary.  After a short illness of about one week John D. Cave, aged 77, has died at his residence, Victoria Park. [sic]  He was a resident for almost 30 years and a prominent townsman.  He was interested in the Institute, was active in the early years of the first Agricultural Society [i.e. Show Society] and in the Anglican Church.  He was Secretary of the Burra Hospital from its inception and clerk of the Burra and Hanson District Councils for many years.  As a JP he was respected for impartiality and he took an interest in sports in the area.  He was auditor of the Town Council and Secretary of the National Defence League.  The funeral on Saturday was largely attended.  He leaves one son, H.F. Cave (Manager of the National Bank, North Adelaide) and four daughters: Mrs P.L. Killicoat (Abberton Park), Mrs A. Butterworth (Adelaide) and the Misses F. & E. Cave of Victoria Park. [sic]

[In this item Victoria Park should read Victoria Place.]

Coglin, Francis William

Headstone plot 450

Burra Cemetery

14 Jan. 1887

Obituary.  F.W. Coglin JP died on 11 January aged 68.  He was a widower and one of the citizens of longest residence.  For a long time he was the Crown Lands Ranger and on retiring he left briefly, but on returning became Councillor for West Ward and was on the Burra hospital Board and the Committee of the Burra Institute.  His brother, P.B. Coglin MP, is Mayor of Hindmarsh.

D

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Dare, William

11 May 1892

Obituary.  William Dare, late of Piltmitiappa Station died on 4 May at Walltellawerlinga.  He was aged 68 and was a colonist of 55 years, having arrived in the Royal Admiral.

Dashwood, Dr. William Henry

Died aged 44

One of the doctor’s during the mining era

28 April 1882

Obituary.  On 27 April, at Government Gums [Farina], Dr Dashwood, formerly of Burra.  (This follows soon after the deaths of Dr and Mrs Cave, late of Burra.)

Davey, William

Headstone plot 1944

Burra Cemetery

24 Mar. 1915

Obituary.  William Davey died on 22 March of pleurisy and bronchitis.  He had lived in Burra over 60 years.  He was born in the parish of Stithians, Cornwall, in 1828 and was aged 86.  He came to SA in the Omega in 1851.  He walked to Burra and got work as a miner and later as a storekeeper on the mine.  Later still he was District Council Clerk until he was 80 and Secretary of the Oddfellows Lodge.  For 22½ years he was caretaker and librarian at the Institute.  He was an ardent Bible Christian and after union a trustee of the Methodist Church.  Mrs Davey died 10 years ago.  He is survived by Mrs E. Statton (Hallett), Mrs E.L. Davey (Burra), Messrs S.H. Davey (Wallaroo), William (Petersburg), Jos. (Croydon), Alfred (North Adelaide), Samuel & Milton (NSW), A.S. and E.J. (Burra).

There are 49 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.

Dawson, Henry

Died 8 Feb. 1883 in the Gulf St. Vincent

16 February 1883

Obituary.  Henry Dawson JP has been drowned in a yachting accident.  A party of gentlemen had gone on a sealing expedition in the yacht Haidee to Pt Lincoln, Neptune Is and Sir Joseph Banks Island.  The yacht was struck by an unexpected wave which washed Messrs King and Dawson overboard.  The boat could not be turned around to attempt to rescue them, but in any event their heavy clothing made survival in the water impossible.  Mr King was the father of Thomas King MP (Mayor of Glenelg) and of Mr William King.  He arrived in SA in 1852.

Mr Dawson was formerly in business in Burra and his departure from the town was the occasion of a farewell banquet.  He took up squatting near Mt Bryan before retiring to Parkside.  He leaves a large family well provided for.  So far the bodies have not been found.

Dew, James

Plot 1276 no headstone

Burra Cemetery

10 Feb. 1892

Obituary.  James Dew, husband of Fanny Dew, died on 3 February at Springbank, aged 61.  He arrived in the Merrion in 1851.  [Page 3 adds that he was a farmer at Springbank for many years and was well and favourably known.]

Diplock, Grace

Wife of Ephraim Diplock

Headstone plot 366

Burra Cemetery

26 Mar. 1889

Obituary.  Grace Diplock was given a funeral service at Westbury Church last Sunday.  She was born Grace Kisell at Frogpool, Cornwall on 15 August 1827.  In May 1851 she left for Australia under the guardianship of her sister and she reached Adelaide on 6 September.  They came to Kooringa and she married Mr Diplock on 31 January 1852.  She then accompanied her husband to the Victorian goldfields.  In 1862 the family went to Copperhouse.  She was taken ill on Sunday 30 December and died on the 3 December.  [There is no explanation for this long delayed service.]

Drake, Maria

Died 25 Dec.1901

Husband Henry James Drake

Headstone plot 61

Burra Cemetery

2 Jan. 1901

Obituary.  Mrs Drake, widow of the late H.J. Drake, was singeing a goose about 11 a.m. when her dress caught fire.  Her daughter managed to extinguish the flames by wrapping her in the covering from the sofa, but the burns resulted in her death about 3.20 p.m.  She apparently ran about the room when the accident occurred because the curtains on the safe and cupboards, carpet, tablecloth, a mangle and a loaf of bread were also burnt or damaged.  It is amazing the house was saved.  Mrs Drake was a resident for 44 years, arriving in SA in 1850 and in 1857 marrying Mr Drake at St Luke’s Adelaide.  They then came to Burra where Mr Drake died in 1871 at the age of 39.  Mrs Drake then kept a boarding house.  She leaves two sons, Francis Henry (married) Mayor of Port Wakefield and Robert.  There is also a daughter, Emily.

Duell, Thomas

Died 22 Jan.1884 at Worlds End

Headstone plot 514

Burra Cemetery

25 Jan. 1884

Obituary.  T. Duell of World’s End died on Tuesday last.  He was a colonist of c. 46 years.

E

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East, Mary

Died 8 July 1891 aged 77 at Hampton

Husband Samuel

No headstone plot 1376

Burra Cemetery

15 July 1891

Obituary.  Mrs East, the oldest resident in Burra died on Wednesday.

[This terminology usually means the person resident in the town longest, rather than the longest lived person.]

Eichler, Henrietta

Died 12 April 1900 at Redruth

No headstone plot 2059

Burra Cemetery

18 Apr. 1900

Obituary.  Mrs Henrietta Eichler, mother-in-law of the Town Clerk, Mr A. Bartholomæus has died aged 88 years 7 months.  She fractured her hip 11 weeks ago and never recovered.  She left Clausthal, Germany, in late 1851 and arrived in SA in January 1852 and proceeded to Burra where her husband gained work in the mine.  When the Victorian gold rush was on Mr Eichler went there for three years and on returning worked at the mine as a timberman until the mine closed.  Mr Eichler died 11 years ago.  She is survived by four sons and two daughters as well as 34 grandchildren and about 50 great-grandchildren.  Rev. W.H. Rofe officiated at the funeral

F

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Fairchild, Thomas

Born 24 Aug. 1837 Devon, England

Died 28 Jan.1904

No Headstone plot 1891

Burra Cemetery

3 Feb. 1904

Obituary.  Thomas Fairchild, aged 65, died suddenly on Thursday afternoon.  He had been long in the district, farming at Buckland Hills for 30 years.  He leaves four daughters: Mrs James Scott of Iron Mine, Mrs Stephen Grey of Hindmarsh, and the Misses Florence and Jane at home.  There are five sons: Albert T. of Booborowie, Walter J. of Gulnare Station, and William, Francis and Robert at home.

The large funeral cortege extended from the corner of Ayer St to Market Square.

Fitzgerald, Edward

Died 12 June 1894 at Kooringa

Headstone plot 1980

Burra Cemetery

20 June 1894

Obituary.  Edward Fitzgerald’s funeral left his home on Thursday for St Joseph’s at 2.30 p.m.  He was a resident of 40 years, having worked in the Burra Mines and at the Smelting Works.  He was constant in his church attendance and leaves four sons: John, Thomas, Edward and William and three daughters, Mrs G. Dawes (North Adelaide), Mrs E.J. Bradley (Adelaide) and Miss Ellen who lives with her mother.

Fitzgerald, E.

13 June 1894

Obituary.  Mr E. Fitzgerald dropped dead while working on the road in Chapel St on Tuesday morning.  He was 61 and leaves a wife and grown up family.

Foy, Sarah

Died 24 Nov. 1893

No Headstone plot 513

Burra Cemetery

29 Nov. 1893

Obituary.  Sarah Foy died last Friday following the accident with the ballast train on 7 November.  There was an inquest Saturday and the funeral that afternoon.  She had been a resident for 45 years and has seven daughters and two sons.

Fuss, Johanne Christina Friedericke

Died 3 Nov.1902

Headstone plot 19063

Burra Cemetery

12 Nov. 1902

Obituary.  Mrs [H.C.W.] Fuss, aged 85, and a resident of Burra for over 50 years, has died, leaving 1 daughter, Mrs Greenwood (Umberalana) and six sons, Herman (Moonta), Albert (Orroroo), Frederick (Broken Hill), William (Goodwood) and Charles & August (Burra).

G

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Gebhardt, Ferdinand

Headstone plot 348

Burra Cemetery

5 Sep. 1890

Obituary.  F. Gebhardt Sen. of Thames St died on Tuesday evening last after an illness of over four years.  He was one of the town’s earliest residents and for many years a baker

12 Sep. 1890

Obituary.  Ferdinand Gebhardt Sen. aged 55, baker, died on 2 September after a long and painful illness.

Gebhardt, Gustav Adolph

21 Mar. 1900

Obituary.  G.A. Gebhardt died on Friday [16 March].  He was born at Duderstadt, Hanover, Germany in 1833 and arrived in SA in the Ohio in 1858.  He proceeded to Burra and took up butchering before turning to pastoralism.  He bought Mt Cone from the Crown ……….He purchased Markaranko Station, a lease on the Murray, which he held for 19 years.  He worked very hard improving his properties and fighting vermin and other odds, like bad seasons.  He added to Mt Cone by purchasing land from Mr Lewis in 1871 (Wildotta), where he built his residence of Mackerode.  On retiring he went to live in Glenelg.  At one time he had the best flock of Lincolns in the colony, but the run was later restocked with Merinos.  He recently acquired both Pareora and Corryton Park.  In 1875 he and his family took a twelve month trip to Germany.  He leaves a widow and seven children: Messrs Charles E., L.W., & A. Gebhardt of Mackerode and A.G. of Pareora (Pt Wakefield).  He also leaves two brothers and sisters.

He was, in retirement, a member of the Lutheran Church in Flinders St, Adelaide.

Giles, Robert

Died 22 June 1894

Headstone plot 302

Burra Cemetery

27 June 1894

Obituary.  Robert Giles has died from apoplexy at Redruth at the age of 60.  He was born at Vetna, Isle of Wight in 1834 and arrived in SA as 3rd mate on the Star Queen.  After a few months he came to Burra in 1855 and farmed at Leighton for 11 years.  For the past 20 years he has been a local preacher in the Redruth Wesleyan Church.  For five years he was 1st Chairman of the Booborowie DC.  He was then clerk for 17 years.  His father was the Rev. Edward Giles.  He leaves two living sister, but two brothers are dead.  He is survived by a wife and grown up family of six daughters and five sons.  The funeral produced one of the longest processions seen in the town for many years.  Rev. D.S. Wylie officiated

Gubbins, Elizabeth Williams

Headstone plot 182

Burra Cemetery

12 Dec. 1900

Obituary.  Mrs Elizabeth W. Gubbins, of Thames St, Kooringa, died on 8 December.  She was the daughter of Thomas and Sophia Torr and was born in Tavistock, England on 5 November 1810.  She married there in 1831 and migrated to Adelaide in 1854, coming to Burra a few weeks later.  Mr Gubbins worked the mine and met with a fatal accident there on 13 August 1866.  She was the oldest resident lady in Burra.  The late John Torr of Redruth and James Torr of Mintaro were her brothers.  She leaves two daughters: Mrs W.H. Turner of Brompton and Mrs J.T. Pryor of Broken Hill and one son, Mr James Gubbins of Broken Hill.  Alderman J. Gubbins of Broken Hill has spent a few days in Burra owing to his mother’s death and has met a number of old friends.  His conversation was versatile, intelligent and edifying.  There are 24 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.  Rev. W.G. Clarke officiated at the grave with a memorial service in the evening at the Methodist Church.  The deceased had been a member of the Bible Christian church for many years

H

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Harris, Alex

Headstone plot 1945

Burra Cemetery

1 Jan. 1902

Obituary.  Alex. Harris died on 25 December 1901, aged 62.  He was born in the parish of Kenwyn near Truro in Wales in June 1840.  In March 1849 he left England for SA, arriving in Adelaide on 1 June 1849.  The family then proceeded to Burra.  He worked in the Burra Mine for several years, but when the Wallaroo Mines opened he went to Kadina and opened a store as a produce merchant.  Later he returned to Burra and traded as a storekeeper and a wood and chaff merchant.  He was Chairman of the Burra School Board of Advice, a Councillor for the Burra Corporation and one of the town’s JPs.  He was an energetic worker for the church, being a superintendent of the Kooringa Methodist Sunday School.  He was elected Mayor, unopposed on 1 December 1901, but was taken ill before being sworn in and did not preside at any meetings.  He was a members of Kooringa Lodge of Freemasons and had just completed a term as W.M.  For about 30 years he had been a member of the Kadina Lodge MUIOOF.  The funeral on Thursday was very largely attended.  He leaves a wife, one son and one daughter.

Harris, Ambrose

Died 23 May 1901

Headstone plot 60

Burra Cemetery

29 May 1901

Obituary.  Ambrose Harris has died.  He was born 1 Dec. 1826 in the parish of St Nest, Cornwall and arrived in SA in the Sultana on 8 Aug. 1854.  He worked in the Burra Mine and helped to build Schneider’s Engine House.  In Feb. 1853 he went to the Victorian diggings and remained for 12 months.  He returned to Adelaide and worked as a stonemason, returning to Burra in 1856 and worked again at the mine until 1867 after which he worked on various Government contracts until 1885.  He then joined with Mr James Launder and worked around Burra till 1895, since when he has not been able to do heavy work.  A severe coach accident in 1872 broke his leg and gave him other serious injuries which have affected him ever since.  He resided in Kooringa for upwards of 45 years and celebrated his golden wedding on 24 April 1901.  He leaves a widow and one son, B.G. Harris of Kalgoorlie, and four daughters: Mrs R.H. Steele, Mrs Charles Parks, Miss E.J. Harris of Kooringa and 11 grandchildren.  He was a member of the Burra Lodge MUIOOF since 1859 and also of the Wesleyan Church.

Hicks, Henry

Headstone plot 1411

Burra Cemetery

6 July 1892

Obituary.  Henry Hicks, one of the oldest residents of Burra died on 28 June.  He arrived in Burra about 36 years ago from the old country.  He found work in the mine and erected a two-roomed house in The Paddock.  These two rooms were described as the prettiest in SA.  His wife died there about 20 years ago.  When the first suspension of work in the mine took place he began to ramble.  He tried the southern mine for a while and then went to Sydney, but soon returned to Burra and until a fortnight before his death supplied residents with tea.  He has one son in NSW.

Holden, Mary Elizabeth

22 Apr. 1914

Obituary.  Mary Elizabeth Holden die at the Alexander Nursing Home, Norwood on 17 April, aged 76.  She was the widow of the late Alexander Holden and a former matron of the Redruth Girls’ Reformatory.  She had been born in London and migrated to Australia in 1850.  She and her husband were founder members of the Flinders St Baptist Church.  Mr Holden died c. 20 years ago.  She left three sons and three daughters:

Messrs H.J. (Norwood), H.W. (Sydney), Colin (WA), and Mesdames H.J. Preston (of Selangor, Malay Free States), G. Gibbs (WA)

Hutchins, Thomas

Headstone plot 1489

Burra Cemetery

14 Feb. 1900

Obituary.  Thomas Hutchins, aged 85, died at his Aberdeen residence on 9 February.  His wife, aged 79, died last June.  He was bord in England in 1815 and arrived in SA in the early days of the colony and settled at Bungaree and later at Iron Mine as a farmer for 13 years before coming to Aberdeen.  He became a member of the Primitive Methodist Church in 1835 and was a local preacher and circuit treasurer.  He leaves six adult daughters.

Hutson, John

Headstone plot 477

Burra Cemetery

5 May 1897

Obituary.  Mr John Hutson died in Thames St Kooringa last Wednesday 28 April.  He was a resident of over 40 years.  For some time he was a wheelwright in the town.. He was aged 84 and leaves three sons and two daughters.

I

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J

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Jordon, George Wilmer

Headstone plot 1971

Burra Cemetery

11 July 1900

Obituary.  George Wilmer Jordan, aged 63, husband of Ann Jordan, died on 7 July at Kooringa.

He arrived in the colony on 16 January 1854 from London on the Corromandel, aged 18 and came to Burra in 1855.  He was resident here for 45 years.  He contracted cancer of the cheek.  He was a member of Loyal Aberdeen Lodge for over 28 years.  The funeral was led by the Salvation Army in funeral regalia followed by members of the Aberdeen and Kooringa Oddfellows Lodges in regalia.  The funeral service at the mortuary chapel was led by Captain Deeble.  He leaves a wife and two sons: George and Harry (WA) and one daughter, Mrs Ivett (Cheltenham).

K

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Kellaway, Keziah

Died 17 Aug.1900

Aged 70 years

Headstone plot 2013

Burra Cemetery

22 Aug. 1900

Obituary.  The wife of Mr W. Kellaway died on Thursday, aged 70.  The couple arrived at Port Adelaide 19 August 1854 on the William Price and went straight to Burra where they have lived for 46 years.  Mr Kellaway has been an invalid for several years and is aged c. 74.  There are five sons and one daughter living.

Killicoat, Isaac

Died 18 Jan 1886

Headstone plot 176

Burra Cemetery

22 Jan. 1886

Obituary.  Isaac Killicoat was buried yesterday.  He was born in Perranwell, a village in Cornwall 5 miles south of Truro on 3 December 1809.  As a youth he went into mining and attended night classes for an education.  At 19 he became a superintendent of operations employing 500 hands.  For 19 years before migrating to SA he was Surface Captain to the Tresavean Copper Mine, Gwennays, Cornwall, one of the oldest and largest copper mines in England and the second in the world to introduce a ‘man engine’: i.e. a lift to lower miners into the depths of the mine.  This whole time he walked 5 miles ‘back and forth’ as the Cornish say, or 10 miles a day.

In 1848 he was engaged by John Schneider & Co., later the Patent Copper Co., to come to Burra and superintend the purchase of ore from the SAMA and others on behalf of the Smelting Co.  This he did till the mine closed.  He also bought land and grew wheat and hay.  More recently he bought Abberton Park, named after the vessel he came in, and devoted himself to sheep.  He also used irrigation there to grow fruit trees, especially oranges and lemons.

He was active in public life and greatly encouraged the completion of the Burra railway.  He stood for the Legislative Council once when the whole colony was a single constituency, but was not elected.  He was appointed a member of the first Burra District Council and elected chairman thereof.  He was also elected a member of the Midland Road Board: an office he held until his death.

He did much to establish the district’s roads and bridges.  On mining matters he was a consultant, making two trips to New Caledonia to confer on the Ballade Copper Mine and also to Cobar Mines in NSW as well as to mines in New Zealand and was consulted by the owners of the mines on Yorke’s Peninsula.

He was a member of the Church of England and a trustee of St Mary’s, Burra.  Thrice married, his third wife survives him.  His eldest son has been dead for some years, but he is survived by two sons, three daughters and 22 grandchildren.

Kreissel, Rev. Father Aloysius

29 Aug 1888

31 August 1888

Obituary.  Rev. Father A. Kriessl died last Wednesday at Seven Hills College.  He had a stroke some three weeks ago.  He was pastor of St Joseph’s in Burra for seven years, during which time he saw the completion of the new St Joseph’s church, the schoolroom and the residence of the Sisters of St Joseph.  He won the respect of other denominations by his genial and courteous manners and the interest he took in good and charitable work.

L

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Lane, Mary Ann

28 Feb. 1900

Obituary.  Mrs Mary Ann Lane was a colonist of 50 years, having arrived with her husband and four children in October of 1849.  They settled in North Adelaide.  Soon her husband and two eldest boys went to the Victorian gold rush where her husband caught cold and died in the Geelong Hospital.  A few years later she lost first the second and then the eldest son, since when she has lived with her youngest son, the Kooringa postmaster, John Lane.  She came from Hereford.  In the UK she was a member of the Countess of Huntingdon’s Connection, but that not being represented here, she became a Wesleyan.  She died from jaundice following influenza contracted a few months since.  She died at Glenelg on 18 February, aged 84 years 10 months.