Eastern Goldfields Miners Memorial at the WA Museum in Kalgoorlie WA
Patrick DOHERTY
Age at Death35
Date Of Death20 October 1937 : Reg 24/1937 Mt Margaret
Place Of BirthBelfast, Ireland
OccupationMiner
Kalgoorlie Miner, Thursday 21 October 1937, page 4
Western Argus, Tuesday 26 October 1937, page 19
Waldeck’s Mine, Bannockburn, Leonora
Eastern Goldfields Miners Memorial at the WA Museum in Kalgoorlie WA - Photo Paul Doust
Plaque by outbackgraves.org
Name Of Mine On Which Last Employed
Bannockburn GM, Leonora, Western Australia
Diagnosis or cause of accident
Killed by a fall of rock that fell from the wall of the north drive.
Place Of Burial
Leonora Cemetery, Leonora, Western Australia
Submitted by
Eric Chamberlain - Volunteer
District
Mt Clifford
Cause of Death
Mine Accidents
Other Information
Leonora Notes and News Leonora-Gwalia, Oct. 24.
Accidental death was the verdict at the inquest last week into the death of Patrick Doherty (34), miner, who was killed at Waldeck's mine, Bannockburn, last Wednesday. The inquest was conducted by Mr. W. E. Lethlean, J.P., and the jury consisted of Messrs. Gibb, Bradshaw and Watson. A Mr. Waldeck said that Doherty was barring down a piece of rock with a pinch-bar, when the rock fell on him, striking his head and knocking him to the bottom of the shaft, a distance of only a few feet. ,
The Bannockburn Gold Mine is 65 kilometres north-west of Leonora, and borders the west side of the Old Agnew Road. It is a large low grade proposition. Mining was first recorded in 1908 (GML 1296 and 1299) by the Bannockburn Gold Mining Company, who had transferred a mill to the site from the Golden Champion lease. The mine quickly became a prospector show, active intermittently until the 1980's.
A mine engineer's report in 1931 states there are several shafts on the lease, 10 to 60 feet in depth on a large lode 10 to 30 feet wide. The schist carried much small quartz veins and thread, the whole lode carrying gold. Grades were extremely patchy. Prospectors had followed the veins seeking high grade stone. The engineer recommended mining the whole lode as a low grade mass.
This did not take place until the 1990's. The mine was operational from 1990 to 1998 by Australian Gold Fields Ltd. This company went into administration due to some unwise investment decisions, which turned out to be gambling. The mine was subsequently owned by Jubilee, Breakwaway Resources, Minotaur, Norilsk and Saracen. The mine has been on care and maintenance since 1998.
Bannockburn is a complex gold deposit in the Bannockburn Shear Zone. Mineralisation is hosted in highly silicified and altered mafic schists, associated with the gently west-dipping Central Thrust. There are a series of steep east-dipping lodes on the Hanging Wall of the Central Thrust. Extensional veins are associated with the progressive movement of the thrust.
