Coronial File for Maria - Goodna Hospital for the Insane - 1895

The following is a transcript of the Inquest of Death, concerning Maria, an aboriginal, at Woogaroo Asylum who died in 1895. It is based on the Microfilm copy held at the Queensland State Archives Item ID 2732976, all statements were handwritten.

The intent with this post is to make primary sources more readily available, hence there is little comment. However I will comment that this inquest is one of three related to death by tuberculosis in a short space of time.

157/95

"INQUESTS OF DEATH ACT OF 1866.”

CERTIFICATE OF PARTICULARS.-- INQUEST OF DEATH. 

I HEREBY CERTIFY, that on the seventeenth day of May 1895, I held an Inquest of Death at Woogaroo Asylum in the Police District of Oxley and that the following particulars were then disclosed :-- 

Name of deceased : Maria aboriginal

Profession or calling : None

Height, colour of hair, peculiar clothing, and any other means of identity: [Blank]

Where found and when : Woogaroo Asylum 17th May 1895

Date of death : 17th May 1895

Supposed cause of death : Tuberculosis

Persons last seen in company of deceased, and names of suspected persons: [Blank]

Accused : [Blank]

Names, residences, and calling of witnesses:

Dr Jas. R. Nicoll, Woogaroo Asylum

Mary Devine, Woogaroo - nurse

Suspicious circumstances: [Blank]

[Signed] W. Galdwyn M.

Coroner or Justice.

NOTE.- One Copy of this Certificate to be attached to the Inquest of Death Deposition and forwarded The Honourable the Attorney-General, and a Duplicate to be sent to the Commissioner of Police. See Section 3 of "Inquests of Death Act of 1866" (30 Vic. No. 3). A Copy must also be forwarded, together with the “Certificate of Information,” to the District Registrar of the District within which the Death took place. 

James Robert Nicoll on oath saith: I am a medical practitioner registered in Queensland and assistant superintendent of the Hospital for the Insane at Goodna. I knew deceased patient 

Maria an aboriginal. She was admitted here on June 6 1889 suffering from mania and in fair bodily health. She was always noisy, demonstrative and dirty and of very destructive habits. 

About six weeks ago signs of tubercle were observed in the lungs and shortly after symptoms of similar report in the bowel became apparent. She became gradually exhausted and died about 5am May 17 1895. I made an examination of the same date and found the cause of death to be 

Tubercular disease of the lung and bowel.

[Signed] Jas R. Nicoll 

Taken and sworn before me at Goodna this seventeenth day of May AD 1895.

[Signed] W. Galdwyn 

Mary Devine on oath saith :- I am a nurse at this Asylum. I knew the deceased patient Maria for about 6 years. When I first knew her she seemed in good health, about a week ago she was put to bed and since that time she appeared to gradually fail until this morning about 5:15 when she died in my presence.

The body was viewed immediately after death by Dr Nicoll.

[Signed] Mary Devine

Taken and sworn before me at Goodna this 17 May 1895.

[Signed] W. Galdwyn 

Karara welcomes home some ANZACs

WWI Honour Plaque, Karara Hall

In February 1920 a train rolled into Karara Station, bringing home three men (who the Warwick Daily News in the idiom of the day called boys). Men who had seen action in WWI. The plaque commemorating the service of Karara's men (see above) lists the years of the war as 1914-1919, this was later revised down to 1914-1918 when a marble honour board was made to commemorate both world wars.  Even so, this little episode in the paper of the day shows that even once the war was over the return home was not immediate and the capacity to work was reduced.  A fact easily glossed over in the papers words "and all bear the honorable wounds which were the lot of many an Australian boy."

I have the honour of teaching history at the Karara State School. The history of Karara may become another theme in my blog, as the school seeks to populate a timeline which seeks to tell the story of the village.

February 14.

On Friday night the residents of the Karara district assembled in the goods shed at Karara to bid welcome home to three of their boys, the last of whom only just arrived from the seat of war. The boys were Corporal Thomas R. Lee, Corporal Percy Wickham, and Private E. P. Bonner. All three boys saw long service in Egypt and France, and all bear the honorable wounds which were the lot of many an Australian boy. To show their appreciation of the good work done on the battlefields, the Karara friends, presented each soldier with a beautiful gold watch and chain with suitable inscription.

Mr. M. Cleary occupied the chair, and Councillor J. E. Smith made the presentation. Both spoke in eulogistic terms of the good work done by all the Karara boys, numbering in all over a dozen. The lads thanked their friends for their presentation and kind things said about them.

Mr. Cleary also presented Mrs. Lee with a beautiful diamond brooch on behalf of her friends. Mr. Lee responded on behalf of his wife.

At the same gathering Mr. Cleary, on behalf of his friends, presented Mr. R. S. Meiklejohn with a gold locket in-scribed in recognition of his good work in connection with the soldiers of the district. Mr. Meiklejohn, who was taken by surprise, thanked, his friends, and said all he had done was only a pleasure.

The dance was kept going until the wee small hours of the morning. Miss Allan and Mr. Bruce Forbes supplied music (piano), and Mr. C. Moore made a very efficient M.C. Mrs. Forbes kindly lent her piano for the occasion.

Source:  

COUNTRY NEWS (1920, February 17). Warwick Daily News (Qld. : 1919 -1954), p. 6. Retrieved June 18, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article175780856