An anecdote from 1936

West Australian Saturday June 27 1936

To the Editor.

Sir,-The late Mr. and Mrs. Charles Glass, of Mugekine (Eastern District), told the following story of the finding of the precious metal: Through an opossum being drowned in their well, their son Alick, assisted by his mother, emptied the well, and scraped the bottom, finally putting the scraping into a bucket, which his mother drew up. On emptying the contents near by, to her great surprise she found gold. Later, as Mrs. Glass and her husband were on their way to Perth, they called at the Newcastle Hotel, Toodyay – (then Newcastle), where I was staying with my eldest sister, Mrs. W. A. Wroth. I vividly remember, with what pleasure and pride, that wonderful pioneer woman passed the gold round to be shown to several people who were present. She then turned to me and said, “You are the youngest here, and only a very small girl, but I am sure that I can trust you to tell the story again, in many years to come, when I have passed on: How your grand aunt, Mary Glass, discovered this gold.” She then placed it in my left hand and closed it, at the same time holding my hand. She expressed the wish that this small discovery would lead to greater discoveries, which would bring wealth and blessings to many thousands of people, and great prosperity to Western Australia. Her good wishes and faith in a child, well describe the charm and personality of this brave woman, from Scotland-a descendant of the Cameron Clan, whom they so proudly say never can yield. This is proved also by the pioneering spirit of her daughter, the late Mrs. Jane Adams, of Mangowine, situated in our great eastern wheat belt. After resting at Toodyay for awhile, Mr. and Mrs. Glass travelled on to Perth, in their team, to report the discovery of the gold. The good news soon spread, and the first prospectors to arrive at Mugekine were Mr. Colreavy and party, followed shortly after by Messrs. Anstey, Payne and Greaves, who proceeded farther on, out to a station named Enuein, owned by Mr. George Lukin, where Richard Greaves, of Anstey’s party, discovered the first reef gold. The finding of this gold was reported by Anstey. Meanwhile, Mr. Colreavy travelled farther east, and continued prospecting, and was rewarded by discovering what is known as Golden Valley, which led on to so many other well known rich discoveries, such as Yilgarn, Southern Cross, Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie and Boulder. My father, the late Mr. Charles Lloyd, of Toodyay (formerly of Fremantle), and my brother, Mr. C. J. Lloyd, set out to visit Mugekine and Enuein. They met Mr. Anstey on his way to Perth to report his discovery of gold. On reaching Mangowine, my father was taken suddenly ill, so had to remain under the care of Mrs. Jane Adams. While there Mr. Hubert Lee Steere arrived, and he joined my brother, driving together on to Enuein, and they arrived early on the following morning. They were surprised to see another party arriving from York, consisting of Messrs. Marwicks, J. and W. Craig, McCoomber and the Seabrook brothers. Of all the gentlemen named herein, only two are living Mr. Hubert J. Lee Steere and Mr. C. J. Lloyd, who will well remember the first discovery by Mrs. Glass which led to so many wonderful finds. I remember seeing a photo of Mr. and Mrs. Glass published in an issue of “The Western Mail” some time later. They were rewarded by receiving the sum of £100 from the Government because the first gold in the Eastern District was dis covered on their property by Mrs. Glass. I trust that the Western Australian Historical Society will endeavour to commemorate the late Mrs. Glass and her son Alick. I am sure there are many grateful citizens of the goldfields, also many in Perth and Fremantle, who will join with delight to erect a deserving and lasting memorial to these brave and thoughtful people, who by their labour in journeying many miles to report their discovery brought so much good and great wealth to thousands of our population.

-Yours, etc., ELSIE M. LLOYD ANNOIS. 16 Vaucluse-street, Claremont.