Thomas O’Shaughnessy’s Diary Part 27 1895

 1895

1 Jan 1895      Thompson and I are to get a half share each in the mine and one pound per week clear of all expenses and we are to be paid 5/- per week extra out of the first minerals sold. Mr Downs came. We agreed to give him six pence per week each for our horses in his paddock.

2 Jan 1895      We got the shaft bailed out and all the loose earth out. Cloudy. Wind from the east.

3 Jan 1895      Commenced to log up 12 feet down.  Cold winds and cloudy.

4 Jan 1895      Logging up. Heavy shower in the evening.

5 Jan 1895      Finished logging up at 3 o’clock. Bob went to Frogmore. Got a letter from Minnie and one from Mines Department, Sydney. No papers.

6 Jan 1895      Sunday. At the camp all day.

7/8 Jan 1895   Sinking all day. Cool east winds. Cloudy and cold.

9 Jan 1895      Working all day. John O’Connor came. He brought my anvil.

10/11 Jan 95   Bob and I sinking all day.

12 Jan 1895    Worked up to 4 o’clock. I rode to Frogmore and got my papers, and a letter from James Smith at P Murray’s store with a two pound cheque in it.

13 Jan 1895    Sunday. At the camp all day. Hot day.

14 Jan 1895    At work. Raining. We put a fly over our shaft.

15 Jan 1895    Working, sinking. I shot one hare. A few drops of rain.

16 Jan 1895    Working all day. Cloudy.

17 Jan 1895    Fixing a ladder way down the shaft. Bob went to Downs to order a sheep. Downs brought a sheep in the evening. 4/-

18 Jan 1895    Bob and I working. Raining.

19 Jan 1895    Worked up to 4 o’clock. I rode to Frogmore. Got the papers and a letter from Minnie  O’Shaughnessy. DCJ Donnelly sold out his store to Reid.

20 Jan 1895    Sunday. At the camp. Shot a hare. Light shower.

21 Jan 1895    Working. Showers, and strong winds from the east.

22 Jan 1895    Working all day. High winds.

23 Jan 1895    At work all day.

24 Jan 1895    Working. John O’Connor and Tom O’Neill came on their way to Frogmore. Polling day. Mackay and Twomey.

25 Jan 1895    Working. The Frogmore policeman came. Great rain at dark.

26 Jan 1895    Work up to 4 o’clock. I rode in to Frogmore and got my papers. Downs brought a sheep.

27 Jan 1895    Sunday. At the camp. Light showers.

28 Jan 1895    We commenced to clean out another old shaft where a good bunch of wolfram had been taken out. A lot of water to be bailed.

29 Jan 1895    Finished cleaning out the shaft. 9 feet deep. Started at one end to take down some wolfram that had been left. Bob working in the deep shaft.

30 Jan 1895    Working all day. Windy.

31 Jan 1895    Bob working in the deep shaft. I was working in the shallow shaft and got some good ore out. Windy all night.

1 Feb 1895      Bob rode and I drove in to Frogmore. Races. Not many people there. I got 50 lbs flour and 25 salt at the store.

2 Feb 1895      Worked up to 4 o’clock. Went to Frogmore. Got the papers and a letter from Minnie.

3 Feb 1895      Sunday. At the camp all day.

4 Feb 1895      Working all day in the deep shaft. We put down a ladder.

5 Feb 1895      Finished logging up the shallow shaft.

6 Feb 1895      Working in the deep shaft.

7 Feb 1895      Deep shaft 35 feet. We are getting a little wolfram.

8 Feb 1895      Working all day.

9 Feb 1895      Worked to 4 o’clock. I walked to Frogmore and got my papers.

10 Feb 1895    Sunday. I drove to John O’Connor’s. had dinner and O’Connor came with me to Cowra. Got there At 9 o’clock.

11 Feb 1895    Went to Mr Hyam’s and got £10 from him. Our wages. I paid Oll for the newspapers.

12 Feb 1895    Mr O’Connor and I started and got to his place at 5 o’clock. I stayed there all night.

13 Feb 1895    I got to the wolfram mine at 2 o’clock.

14 Feb 1895    Bob and I working in the shaft. Downs brought some potatoes.

15 Feb 1895    Working all day. A man named Howarth borrowed my buggy and brought it back in the evening.

16 Feb 1895    Worked up to 3 o’clock. I walked to Frogmore and got the papers. Howarth brought some specimens.

17 Feb 1895    Sunday. I walked down to Hovell’s Creek.

18 Feb 1895    Bob and I sinking.

19/22 Feb 95   Working. Wolfram showing well. Fine weather.

23 Feb 1895    We fixed a ladder way and skids for the bucket. I went to Frogmore and got a letter from Minnie that some person took some piping and boards from her allotment in Cowra. Mobbs stone assayed at 17 dwts 9 grams per ton.

24 Feb 1895    Sunday. I had a walk around the hills. Shot a brush wallaby. We got a sheep from Downs.

25/28 Feb 95   Bob and I worked all day. . Very hot. . I shot a large kangaroo on 27 Feb.

1 Mar 1895      Working. Great bushfires all round. Great heat.

2 Mar 1895      Went with John O’Connor to Frogmore. I had a look at the quartz reefs there. A letter from Minnie.

3 Mar 1895      Sunday. I went with John Downs to a quartz near Hovell’s Creek. Hot day.

4 Mar 1895      Sinking shaft. We are 53 feet deep. Very hot.

5 Mar 1895      Working. A few drops of rain. Hot day.

6 Mar 1895      Working. John O’Connor came. Brought Cowra (papers) from Frogmore.

7 Mar 1895      Bob and I sinking. Getting hard.

8 Mar 1895      Working all day. Mr Cavanagh came to the claim.

9 Mar 1895      Worked up to 3 o’clock. Went to Frogmore. Got a letter from Minnie.

10 Mar 1895    I went with a man named Howarth to a slate hill at the back of Reynold’s Station on the Fish River where some shafts had been sunk, prospecting for silver ore. I brought some specimens. I found a blackfellow’s stone tomahawk on Hovell’s Creek. We got a sheep from Downs.

11 Mar 1895    Working. Got potatoes and pumpkins from John Downs.

12 Mar 1895    Working all day. Very sultry.

13 Mar 1895    Working. I repaired my buggy wheel. Real hot day.

14 Mar 1895    At work all day. Very hot.

15 Mar 1894    Bob and I working all day.

16 Mar 1895    Worked up to 3 o’clock. Went to Frogmore. Got a letter from Mr Hyams to stop work, and a letter from Minnie.

17 Mar 1895    Sunday. At the camp. Felled two trees for honey.

18 Mar 1895    Bob and I went into Downs’ paddock and cut down a bees nest. Packing up all day.

19 Mar 1895    Loaded the wagonette. I went to Frogmore and got a pair of old shoes on my horse.

20 Mar 1895    We came to John O’Connor’s and had dinner there and then came on to Cocomingla, Thomas Smith’s place, and camped near the Post Office.

21 Mar 1895    We got to Cowra at 12 o’clock. I gave Mr Hyams our bill. No grass about Cowra.

22 Mar 1895    In Cowra all day.

23 Mar 1895    I got a cheque from J.S.Hyams for Bob Thompson. The full amount due for the work done at the wolfram mine.

24 Mar 1895    Sunday. I started at 5 o’clock. Dinner at Cocomingla. I went up the Burrowa River to Prosser’s, through a gate near the house. 5 miles from there to cantwell’s old place on the Frogmore and Hovell’s Creek road. Camped.

25 Mar 1895    Drove up to the wolfram mine. Had dinner and loaded up the tools and got to John O’Connor’s at 5 o’clock.

26 Mar 1895    Came on to Cocomingla. Had dinner and got to Cowra at 6 o’clock. Hot day.

27 Mar 1895    Cowra all day.

28 Mar 1895    I drove out to Specimen Hill. I took 4 sheets of 8 feet iron to James O’Shaughnessy . Got back to Cowra at 4 o’clock. Put my horse in the Common 3/- for 3 months. J.S.Hyams paid me £5.18.4 for work done at the wolfram mine.

29 Mar 1895    Fixing shafts of the buggy.

30 Mar 1895    Making refrigerating paint.

31 Mar 1895    Sunday. At home all day.

1 Apr 1895      Commenced to put the refrigerating paint on the kitchen at the Convent.

2 Apr 1895      Painting all day. Minnie laid up with diptheria.

3 Apr 1895      I finished painting at 12 o’clock. A boy of Dick Newham’s buried. Diptheria. High winds and a few drops of rain.

4 Apr 1895      Plastering my place. Minnie gone to hospital. Diphtheria.

5 Apr 1895      Plastering all day.

6 Apr 1895.     Clara O’Shaughnessy[1] gone to hospital with diphtheria. Hospital is full.

7 Apr 1895      At home. Minnie much better.

8 Apr 1895      Finished plastering.

9 Apr 1895      Made some paint and painted a part of the inside of the house. Repaired a tank for Mrs Henderson.

10 Apr 1895    Painting all day.

11 Apr 1895.   Painting all day. A son of Tom Peters was pulled off his horse by an entire? of J.J.Sloan and nearly cut his leg off. He was brought up to the Hospital. Minnie came out of hospital.

12 Apr 1895    Good Friday. All business places closed. A cricket match – Bennetts Springs and Cowra. I finished painting. Cool day.

13 Apr 1895    I drove out on the Young road and cut some pines and brought home some wood. Binni Creek Races on the Cowra Racecourse.

14 Apr 1895    Easter Sunday. Another small find on Specimen Hill. Real dry weather. No sign of rain.

15 Apr 1895    Caledonian Sports on the Showground. A good many people there. I did not go.

16 Apr 1895    I ordered from Harry Heart 190 feet of 20 feet flooring boards and two pair of 8 x 10 window sashes. I fixed the joist ready for the boards.

17 Apr 1895    I laid down the boards. I got a letter from John O’Connor, Hovell’s creek. Weather dry.

18 Apr 1895    Plastering all day

19 Apr 1895    Plastering all day. A daughter of J.C.Ryall’s buried today. Diptheria.

20 Apr 1895    Plastering. Very much like rain. A few drops.

21 Apr 1895    Sunday. At home all day.

22 Apr 1895    Plastering all day.

23 Apr 1895    Finished plastering this morning. After dinner, commenced to whitewash back of the building. John O’Connor came. Paid me 8/6.

24 Apr 1895    Finished whitewashing outside. Stacking up timber in front of the house. Boxall came to see me. He says that Tom Wills has to pay James O’Shaughnessy £8.17.6 that was impounded by Joseph Poole and James Connelly.

25 Apr 1895    Whitewashing inside of the house. Real dry weather.

26 Apr 1895    I commenced to make a door.

27 Apr 1895    Finished the door. No sign of rain.

28 Apr 1895    Sunday. At home. Saw my horse on the Common.

29 Apr 1895    Putting in window sashes. P D got as far as the railway Station when S and I brought P D back.

30 Apr 1895    Finished the sashes and did some painting.

1 May 1895     At home. Not done much.

2 May 1895     I went to the racecourse paddock to see if the timber that I had bought at the sale was there.

3 May 1895     Not doing anything.

4 May 1895     Cleaning up. James O’Shaughnessy paid W Boxall £8.17.0 as part payment of his bill £9.12.11. A daughter of David Clifton’s died. Diptheria.

5 May 1895     Sunday. At home. I put my horse in Rolfe’s paddock.

6 May 1895     I went in the buggy with James O’Shaughnessy to Specimen Hill, Binni Creek.

7 May 1895     Out prospecting to Rocky Creek and down the creek a good distance and then across towards W Butler’s paddocks and back to the camp.

8 May 1895     I followed Rocky Creek to the head, and back thjrough Brideoak’s paddock to the camp.

9 May 1895     I prospected up to Sam’s Reef. Miller and brother and two others put in a tunnel 230 feet. They cut some leaders carrying gold. I had dinner with them and came back to the claim. There are 16 in this claim. J.Smith, Hyams, 2 bankers, John Connelly, Francis and others.

10 May 1895   At Specimen Hill all day.

11 May 1895   James O’Shaughnessy and I drove in to Cowra.

12 May 1895   Sunday. At home all day.

13 May 1895   I went to where George Hurst was grubbing near the Showground. John O’Connor came with 200 sheep to truck to Sydney. Very dry weather.

14 May 1895   I went over to the Showground to John O’Connor’s camp. He is to truck the sheep this evening.

15 May 1895   Stacking timber. Paid.

16 May 1895   Stacking timber in the yard.

17 May 1895   Raining most all day. I made some specimen boxes.

18 May 1895   A few showers up to 12 o’clock.

19 May 1895   Sunday. At home all day.

20 May 1895   I got two cases at P Murray’s to make a closet and got the posts ready.

21 May 1895   Working at the closet. A white frost.

22 May 1895   Working at the closet. Mrs A.J.Single’ mother buried today. Not many at the funeral.

23 May 1895   Working at the closet.

24 May 1895   Queen’s Birthday. Light rain during the night and rained most all day. Great bicycle races on the Racecourse. Some person ran against me in the street opposite Daly’s Hotel and knocked me down and trod on my hand and took all the skin off.

25 May 1895   John O’Connor came from Sydney. I went to Snodgrass, public schoolteacher’s sale.

26 May 1895   Sunday. At home all day.

27 May 1895   At home. My hand getting better.

28 May 1895   I went up to M T Phillips’ office. He had gone to Mount McDonald. I got James O’Shaughnessy’s deeds from Phillip Squire. Robert Daly very ill.

29 May 1895   I gave James O’Shaughnessy’s deeds to Mr Phillips. He is to transfer them from father to son, Thomas. Races today. DCJ Donnelly in Sydney. Not expected to live.

30 May 1895   I sent a sample of stone to the Mines Department for Charles Hope from Bumbaldry. I have a bad cold.

31 May 1895   At home all day. Toothache all night. I went to Ormiston the Dentist and got him to lance the abcess and agreed to let him stop it for 15/6.

1 Jun 1895      Dentist cleaned my tooth again. James came from Binni.

2 Jun 1895      Sunday. At home.

3 Jun 1895      My cold getting better. Cold windy day.

4 Jun 1895      Making rings for opossum traps. Very white frost.

5 Jun 1895      Making rings. Mrs W Howey died at 9 o’clock this morning of pleurisy. White frost.

6 Jun 1895      Mrs Howey buried today. Making rings and got some boards to peg the opossum skins on. 2/6. Great frost this morning.

7 Jun 1895      Making boards for opossum skins. White frost.

8 Jun 1895      Making boards. Frost this morning.

9 Jun 1895      Sunday. No frost. Wind blowing from the west.

10 Jun 1895    Making traps. Great wind this morning. Raining. Very cold. Alick and I killed a pig for Mrs Daly.

11 Jun 1895    Making traps. We cut up the pig for Mrs Daly.  Cloudy.

12 Jun 1895    Getting ready to go out trapping opossums.

13 Jun 1895    Alick and I started with the buggy and camped at the old Broula Station near david Hood’s.

14 Jun 1895    We set over 100 traps.

15 Jun 1895    We got 9 opossums. I shot one wallaby and a doe wallaroo.

16 Jun 1895    Sunday. We got 16 skins and shot 3 wallabies.

17 Jun 1895    9 opossums. White frost.

18 Jun 1895    15 opossums. D Hood came to the camp. I got my papers.

19 Jun 1895    24 opossums. Shot a wallaroo and one wallaby.

20 Jun 1895    19 opossums. Cloudy. Like rain.

21 Jun 1895    11 opossums. Raining. Assisted Hood to kill a bullock.

22 Jun 1895    12 opossums. Raining most all day.

23 Jun 1895    Sunday. 12 opossums. We shot two doe wallaroos and one wallaby. Light showers.

24 Jun 1895    7 opossums. Shifted a lot of the traps.

25 Jun 1895    16 skins. Willie Hood not expected to live. Frost and fog.

26 Jun 1895    11 skins. Raining.

27 Jun 1895    Raining all day.

28 Jun 1895    8 skins. Raining.

29 Jun 1895    14 skins.

30 Jun 1895    Sunday. 5 skins.

1 Jul 1895       5 skins. Made a lot of traps and set them on the reserve near Paddy Dwyer’s.

2 Jul 1895       3 skins. I shot two brush wallabies and a doe wallaroo. Alick shot two wallabies. Cloudy.

3 Jul 1895       11 skins. Set a lot of traps above Hood’s old place.

4 Jul 1895       12 skins. Set some traps at the old sheepyards and some above Hood’s old place. Got some beef and pumpkins from D Hood, a letter from Minnie and one from John O’Connor.

5 Jul 1895       11 skins. Fine day.

6 Jul 1895       17 skins. Cloudy and cold.

7 Jul 1895       Sunday. 11 skins. Fog and frost. I shot a doe wallaroo.

8 Jul 1895       5 skins. We set a lot of traps up Hawk’s nest Gully. We got some flour from Hood. Frost and fog.

9 Jul 1895       7 skins.

10 Jul 1895     20 skins. Shifted traps down to Hood’s and Beasley’s boundary.

11 Jul 1895     21 skins. Light showers and a hailstorm.

12 Jul 1895     15 skins. We got some things from Cowra by D Hood. Great fog.

13 Jul 1895     6 skins.

14 Jul 1895     Sunday. 10 skins and a native tiger cat. Shifted trap to the creek at the back of Hood’s old place.

15 Jul 1895     1 skins. Assisted D Hood to kill a cow. Delayney here with his steam chaff cutter, cutting for Mr Shackel, Grenfell.

16 Jul 1895     18 skins. Alick and I took the cow off the gallows for Hood.

17 Jul 1895     9 skins. I got 36 lb of beef from Hood. DCJ Donnelly got in as Member for Cowra.

18 Jul 1895     15 skins. Cloudy. A few drops of rain in the evening.

19 Jul 1895     5 skins. Working for Hood all day, cutting straw.

20 Jul 1895     7 skins. Removed traps to our old hut at the foot of Broula Hill.

21 Jul 1895     Sunday. 10 skins. Took all traps from Hawk’s Nest to the camp.

22 Jul 1895     I rode down to Brown’s to see if he would let me trap opossums in his paddock. Snow on the top of Dribbendrew and along the top of the hill to Norman’s Mount. Assisted Hood in the evening.

23 Jul 1895     We took up all the traps. I assisted Hood with some straw. Got 20 lbs of beef from Hood.

24 Jul 1895     We picked out a camp on a reserve near Hugh Watt’s.

25 Jul 1895     We shifted our camp to the boundary fence between John Hood and Hugh Watt on the reserve. I put my horse in Brown’s paddock. Heavy fog this morning.

26 Jul 1895     We set 200 traps in Brown’s paddock. Sam Brown came to the camp.

27 Jul 1895     16 skins. Set 50 traps. Cold fog this morning.

28 Jul 1895     10 skins. Went up to D Hood’s and had dinner.

29 Jul 1895     5 skins. Great frost this morning.

30 Jul 1895     21 skins. Hugh Watt came to the camp.

31 Jul 1895     I drove in to Cowra and took 41 dozen opossum skins.

1 Aug 1895      I got W Robertson to take the skins to the Railway Station, consigned to McBurney and Wallis, Sydney. Kate O’Shaughnessy went by coach to Grenfell. P. McGrath is to meet her there and take her out to his place. I got some rations and drove out to the camp.

2 Aug 1895      Removing traps all day. Fine weather.

3 Aug 1895      18 skins. Cloudy and high winds. Removed a lot of traps.

4 Aug 1895      Sunday. 9 skins. Went up to the wallaby rocks in Wattamondara paddock. Shot 3 wallabies and 2 doe wallaroos.

5 Aug 1895      10 skins. We got a large house cat. Fine day.

6 Aug 1895      7 skins. Raining all night. Light showers today.

7 Aug 1895      9 skins. I went up to D Hood’s for the papers. Raining in the night and a great fog this morning.

8 Aug 1895      13 skins. Frost. Fine day. No grass in any of the paddocks about here.

9 Aug 1895      13 skins. Frost.

10 Aug 1895    15 skins. Hare drive on the Back creek. Fine day. No

11 Aug 1895    Sunday. 11 skins. Mrs H Watt came to the camp.

12 Aug 1895    17 skins. Fine day.

13 Aug 1895    24 skins and 1 cat. Raining during the night and this morning.

14 Aug 1895    12 skins. Set some traps at Jack Hood’s dam, Yarra. I saw. Jack Hood there. Raining most all night.

15 Aug 1895    17 skins. Sam Brown came to the camp. A few light showers.

16 Aug 1895    13 skins. I saw Jack Hood and Hugh Watt at Yarra.

17 Aug 1895    13 skins. Got the Town and Country Journal. Went to a high sandstone hill near Sam Brown’s. Fine day.

18 Aug 1895    Sunday. 13 skins. I saw Jim Anderson. He gave me permission to trap in his paddock. A letter from Minnie, and one from McBurney and Wallis. I had tea with Mrs Hugh watt. Dry weather.

19 Aug 1895    15 skins. We set 100 traps in Hugh watt’s paddock. Fine day.

20 Aug 1895    25 skins. I set some traps on jack Hood’s boundary and the reserve. Heavy rain after 12 o’clock.

21 Aug 1895    16 skins. Set 50 traps lower end of the plains. Light showers.

22 Aug 1895    13 skins. D Hood’s son Jack brought the Town and Country Journal. Light showers.

23 Aug 1895    15 skins. I went to Hugh Watt’s after dark. Fine day.

24 Aug 1895    19 skins. We got a return of 41 dozen skins. £7.14.3.

25 Aug 1895    Sunday. 16 skins. I saw Paddy the horse. Windy day.

26 Aug 1895    13 skins. A girl of harry brien’s, Back Creek, got burnt today. Dry weather.

27 Aug 1895    13 skins. I set 100 traps near jack Hood’s house. Windy.

28 Aug 1895    12 skins. We got 5/- worth of beef from Jack Hood. Windy day.

29 Aug 1895    19 skins. Fine day.

30 Aug 1895    15 skins. Hare drive at Robert Slessor’s and a dance.

31 Aug 1895    14 skins. Took all the traps from near jack Hood’s and set them in Jim Anderson’s paddock. Dry day.

1 Sep 1895      10 skins. Fine day.

2 Sep 1895      11 skins. Dry winds. No sign of rain.

3 Sep 1895      9 skins. Great wind and a little rain.

4 Sep 1895      11 skins. We took all the traps up. Shot 2 scrub wallabies in Francis’ paddock. Fine day.

5 Sep 1895      I drove in to Cowra and brought in 41 dozen and 3 opossum skins. I heard that good gold was found in a reef 2 miles south of Bumbaldry. John O’Connor came to Cowra.

6 Sep 1895      In Cowra. . I put in application for sexton and caretaker for General Cowra Cemetery. I saw Robert Stephenson and John Thomas West JP about it. Dry weather continuing.

7 Sep 1895      I drove out to the camp. We shot 3 wallaroos.

8 Sep 1895      Sunday. Hugh Watt, D Hood and I rode out past Bumbaldry to American Black’s Reef. We could not see any gold.

9 Sep 1895      We shot two brush wallabies, and a buck wallaroo. Windy day.

10 Sep 1895    We packed up and drove in to Cowra. Dry day.

11 Sep 1895    Cleaning the house. Rev. Father O’Kennedy gave a Ball tonight.

12 Sep 1895    At home. Children’s dance tonight.

13 Sep 1895    At home. I saw William Boxall about Anthony’s Hill sluicing plant. He is willing for me to take £20.0.0 worth of the plant.

14 Sep 1895    At home. James O’Shaughnessy came from Binni Creek.

15 Sep 1895    Sunday. At home. A few light showers.

16 Sep 1895    At home. Rolfe got the (cemetery) sexton and caretaker again. Heavy rain tonight.

17 Sep 1895    Making some whip handles. Showers all day.

18 Sep 1895    At home all day.

19 Sep 1895    Making a stockwhip handle out of yarran.

20 Sep 1895    Making a handle out of myall from Wyalong. Fine day.

21 Sep 1895    At home. Made a whip handle.

22 Sep 1895    Sunday. At home. Mrs Kelly died.

23 Sep 1895    At home. Frost this morning. High winds during the day.

24 Sep 1895    At home. Mrs Kelly buried. Windy day.

25 Sep 1895    At home. Raining all night and all day. Very cold. Hospital ball tonight. 50 couples.

26 Sep 1895    A little rain last night. Cloudy day. Children’s dance.

27 Sep 1895    Fixing up a grinding stone. Fine day.

28 Sep 1895    I had a talk with Joe Poole. He is agreeable that I should take all the pipes and the iron tank and boards for my wages on Anthony’s Hill . The rest of the plant to be sold and the money to be divided between Boxall, Connelly and Poole.

29 Sep 1895    At home all day.

30 Sep 1895    Fixing up specimens.

1 Oct 1895      Putting up some shelves for Mrs Daly. Commenced to rain at 12 o’clock and continued most all night.

2 Oct 1895      Arranged with Mr McWilliam to shoot wild dogs and kangaroos in his Kangarooby paddocks.

3/4 Oct 1895   At home all day. .

5 Oct 1895      At home. Joseph Head, better known as Portugese Joe, died at Woods Flat. A resident there since 1868.

6 Oct 1895      Sunday. At home. Light showers.

7/8 Oct 1895   At home. No returns from the opossum and kangaroo skins

9 Oct 1895      Railway picnic sports on the Showground. Fine day.

10 Oct 1895    Getting ready to go kangaroo shooting. No returns from the skins.

11 Oct 1895    At home.

12 Oct 1895    We got a return for 41 dozen and 3 opossum skins.£5.11.6.

13 Oct 1895    Sunday. raining all day.

14 Oct 1895    Alick and I drove out to Cherry’s Creek and camped at Frank Smith’s old selection.

15 Oct 1895    We walked down to the gorge on Cherry’s Creek.

16 Oct 1895    I drove in to Cowra. Rifle not come from Newcastle.

17/19 Oct 95   Rifle not come.

20 Oct 1895    Sunday. At home. Real hot day.

21 Oct 1895    No rifle.

22 Oct 1895    The rifle came.

23 Oct 1895    I drove out to Cherry’s Creek. I took the old piebald with me. We took a bees nest. The horses made a start back.

24 Oct 1895    Took a bees nest and shot a wallaby.

25 Oct 1895    Took a bees nest. Alick shot two wallabies. I shot one.

26 Oct 1895    Cut down a bees nest near the camp.

27 Oct 1895    Cut a bees nest. Alick shot three brush wallabies.

28 Oct 1895    Cut down a bees nest above the upper dam and found two more.

29 Oct 1895    Cut two bees nests. Could not find any more.

30 Oct 1895    We found four bees nests down near the gorge. Fired at a large kangaroo near the camp, but could not find him in the scrub.

31 Oct 1895    We drove down to near the gorge and took the piebald with us. Cut down three bees nests and came back to the camp. We found the large kangaroo I fired at the night before. Dry weather.

1 Nov 1895     Johnson and another man came to the camp. Too dull a day to look for honey. I shot a doe kangaroo. Alick shot two brush wallabies.

2 Nov 1895     Cloudy. Thunder and a few drops of rain.

3 Nov 1895     Sunday. Light rain all day. Could not go out. Alick shot a brush wallaby.

4 Nov 1895     We took the buckets down Cherry’s Creek to the fence and cut a bees nest there, and searched for more near the gorge. Could not find any. I shot a scrub wallaby, Alick a kangaroo.

5 Nov 1895     We drove down near the gorge and cut a bees nest, and came back to the camp. Left the horse out all night.

6 Nov 1895     We strained all the honey and soldered up the tins. I shot two brush wallabies and found a bees nest and Alick found a bees nest. Fine day.

7 Nov 1895     We cut two bees nests. Dry windy day.

8 Nov 1895     Alick and I walked over the mountain into Kangarooby Creek. Found 4 bees nests. Hot dry day.

9 Nov 1895     We took bees nests. They stung me all over the face. Bunged up both eyes. Hot dry day.

10 Nov 1895   Sunday.  Cut down two bees nests. Shot a brush wallaby. Windy.

11 Nov 1895   Took a bees nest from a tree that had been felled before. We loaded the wagonette with 8 tins of honey., 1 cake of bees wax, 28 wallaby skins and 11 kangaroo skins.

12 Nov 1895   I drove in to Cowra. Sold 22 lbs wax to J.E.Taylor for 16/6. Sold 1 tin of honey to James Eagan for 10/-. Left 7 tins of honey and 39 skins at P Murray’s to be sent to Sydney.

13 Nov 1895   I drove out to the camp at Cherry’s Creek.

14 Nov 1895   Shifted our camp to a spring in a gap falling into Kangarooby Creek. Had to get through the boundary fence. Put the horses down in Kangarooby Creek.

15 Nov 1895   We felled two bees nests. Great smoke coming from the east.

16 Nov 1895   Cut down two bees nests. Dry weather.

17 Nov 1895   Looking for bees nests at the head of Kangarooby Creek.

18 Nov 1895   Went down Kangarooby Creek looking for bees nests. In the evening, we shot a kangaroo each in Cherry’s Creek. Dry windy day.

19 Nov 1895   We went 2 ½ miles west to an old selection of Cooper’s. Found a bees nest near the camp. Found a blackfellow’s stone tomahawk.

20 Nov 1895   Cut two bees nests. Went in the evening to the old selection to shoot kangaroos.

21 Nov 1895   We cut a bees nest.

22 Nov 1895   Cut a bees nest. Cooper’s son came and said we were on his father’s run.

23 Nov 1895   Alick and I walked to cooper’s place in Rarey’s gully. Cooper had no objection to us shooting native dogs or kangaroos on his run. We came across to Arnold’s selection and up the swamp to camp.

24 Nov 1895   Sunday. Alick met Cooper’s son at the old selection. I was preparing bees wax. Great fire in Cherry’s Creek. I shot a kangaroo.

25 Nov 1895   Alick shot a kangaroo. Great fires in Charry’s Creek. Real hot day.

26 Nov 1895   Went up Cherry’s Creek. Alick shot two brush wallabies. Great heat. A few drops of rain.

27 Nov 1895   I found two bees nests We took one. I got a shot at a native dog. Missed him. East winds.

28 Nov 1895   Took two bees nests. Alick and I saw a native dog in the Kangarooby Creek. We had no guns. I found a bees nest. Great bush fires in Brundah paddocks. East wind.

29 Nov 1895   We took one bees neat near the camp. I went along the range north and then into Cherry’s Creek. Shot a wallaby. Alick shot three.

30 Nov 1895   Could not find any bees nest.

1 Dec 1895     Sunday. Light rain up to 10 o’clock. We then had a good shower and another heavy shower in the evening. Johnson and young George Moore showed Alick 2 bees nests and Alick found one himself.

2 Dec 1895     We took 3 bees nests. Lent Johnson some flour. Sultry day.

3 Dec 1895     We strained the honey. I found a bees nest. Alick shot 5 brush wallabies. Great wind and thunder last night. No rain.

4 Dec 1895     We cut down a bees nest and strained it. We had 8 ½ kerosene tins of honey. I shot a wallaroo and a brush wallaby. Hot and cloudy all day.

5 Dec 1895     I was getting the beeswax ready. Found a bees nest. Hot sultry day. Great thunder. No rain.

6 Dec 1895     Boiling down bees wax. Real hot day.

7 Dec 1895     Looking for bees nests all day. No luck. Thunder and lightning.

8 Dec 1895     Sunday. I found two bees nests. Thunder and lightning. A shower at dark.

9 Dec 1895     We cut down two bees nests and strained it and filled the ninth kerosene tin. A good shower in the evening.

10 Dec 1895   I took 9 kerosene tins of honey, 46 lbs of bees wax and 29 kangaroo skins to Cowra. Mrs O’Sullivan died this morning at her daughter’s, Mrs Egan’s, place.

11 Dec 1895   I went to Mrs O’Sullivan’s funeral. I left 8 tins of honey with James Egan, Butcher. Left the skins and bees wax at P Murray’s store to be sent to Sydney.

12 Dec 1895   Young James Egan gave me a kangaroo slut and I took Daly’s blue dog, Dick, and drove out to the camp.

13 Dec 1895   We found one bees nest.

14 Dec 1895   We searched all day but could not find a bees nest.

15 Dec 1895   Sunday. We took the dogs over to Cooper’s selection and they caught a kangaroo. Dry windy day.

16 Dec 1895   Alick and I walked down Cherry’s Creek to the fence. Alick took the south side back, and I took the west side and followed the fence round to the camp. Commenced to rain at 5 o’clock and continued up to 10 o’clock.

17 Dec 1895   We went nearly to Cooper’s and back. In the evening, Alick shot two kangaroos at the Tea Tree. Cloudy. A few kight mists.

18 Dec 1895   I found a bees nest.

19 Dec 1895   We cut down two bees nests above the old camp in Cherry’s Creek.

20 Dec 1895   Alick shot two wallaroos near the camp. We cut down a bees nest and filled a kerosene tin. Dry day.

21 Dec 1895   Melting bees wax. I fixed a place for the horses to water at Johnston’s camp. Great heat today. All the grass here burnt off.

22 Dec 1895   Sunday. At the camp all day. High wind all day.

23 Dec 1895   Alick found a bees nest. We cut it down. Windy all night.

24 Dec 1895   We drove to Cowra. Got kangaroo slut from Phillip Kearins, Murringo and kangaroo pup from James Egan Jr, Cowra.

25 Dec 1895   Christmas Day. The hottest day this year. I had my dinner with Mr and Mrs Daly. Thunder and lightning all the evening. No rain.

26 Dec 1895   Boxing Day. Races at Robert Chivers’, Back Creek.

27 Dec 1895   Looked too much like rain to start.

28 Dec 1895   Cloudy. Little rain. We did not start.

29 Dec 1895   Sunday. We started at 5 o’clock and got to the camp at 1 o’clock.

30 Dec 1895   I split 80 palings. Hot day.

31 Dec 1895   New Year’s Day. (sic) My birthday (tomorrow). 60 years of age. I split 51 palings. Hot dry day.

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Footnotes    (↵ returns to text)

  1.   Clara is a daughter of James O’Shaughnessy.