Silver City Highway graves.
Submitted: Saturday, Nov 29, 2008 at 10:28
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mintabiegeoff
I wonder if anyone can help. I am writing this page for my website and would appreciate some more info.
Eliza Kennedy’s grave is beside the Silver City Highway on the sandy bank of
Cobham Lake. Apparently the lake was quite deep once but silted up in the dry years. The gravestone is broken and the first word of her epitaph is difficult to read:
"Her(?) charity covereth a multitude of sins".
An
old tank plasterer at
Milparinka told me that Eliza Kennedy drowned while trying to save the tavern keeper’s two
young daughters who got into difficulties while swimming in the lake. Then an elderly lady in
Tibooburra suggested Eliza may have worked as a prostitute at the tavern. The
tank plasterer said she lived and worked there and just enjoyed life.
I have looked around the lake for the
ruins of the tavern
and found a lot of rubbish and bottles on the NE corner of the lake, but I'm not sure if this is where it was. Does any one know any more about Eliza Kennedy?
Another mystery along the Highway is the disappearance of the grave at the
White Cliffs turn off.
I was told many years ago that it was the grave of an Aboriginal bloke from
Tibooburra. He apparently hitched a ride back to
Tibooburra from
Broken Hill with Blake Whitehair, the original owner of the
Corner Country Store.
Blake had his old truck loaded with store supplies and made his passenger ride on top of the load. The bloke then went to sleep and was thrown off on a rough section of the road and was killed.
He was buried where he was found and the grave had a wood post and netting fence built around it.
Sometime in the 90’s the
intersection was re aligned and all trace of the grave seems to have disappeared. I hope the grave of Eliza Kennedy doesn’t suffer the same fate.
Geoff from outbacksecrets.com
http://www.outbacksecrets.com
Reply By: Fiona & Paul - Saturday, Nov 29, 2008 at 11:08
Saturday, Nov 29, 2008 at 11:08
G'day Geoff
I do have more detail on that headstone, it's location and some photographs taken 36-7 years ago, hidden in my archives that will show up for sure.
I have photographs of a grave site that while it may not be the site you refer to I do have a detailed image.
If you contact me via email or give me your phone number I could fill in some missing links as I worked in the area.
Paul & Fiona
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Reply By: Dave B (NSW) - Saturday, Nov 29, 2008 at 14:32
Saturday, Nov 29, 2008 at 14:32
G'day Geoff, I have heard the story of Eliza Kennedy many times, and the story goes that she was fairly liberal with her favours.
I heard she was a barmaid or servant there at the pub, and she drowned saving the kids.
I am not sure exactly where the hotel was, but I am working on it.
I don't know anything about the
aboriginal grave, but I heard that Telstra, or whatever they were called at the time, ran a dozer up that way, and they went through some
graves near the side of the road at
Packsaddle quite some years ago.
The inscription you have there for the grave is right too.
Dave
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Follow Up By: mintabiegeoff - Saturday, Nov 29, 2008 at 16:18
Saturday, Nov 29, 2008 at 16:18
Thank you both for your replies. My email address is
geofftrish@bordernet.com.au
and phone (03) 5494 4279.
Look forward to hearing from you, Fiona and Paul.
Geoff
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