Joseph Thomas Coxon OLIVER - Photo Ancestry.com
Joseph Thomas Coxon OLIVER
Age at Death38
Date Of Death1 April 1933 : Reg 8/1933 Yilgarn
Place Of BirthCarrington, Newcastle, New South Wales
OccupationMiner
Spouse's NameMargaret 'Maggie' Mary Byrne was born in Southern Cross WA (the eldest of 14 children) on the 5th January 1896. [Maggie died on the 1st November 1985 in Carlisle, Western Australia]
ChildrenMargaret Josephine [born 29.10.1921 and died 28.5.1973], Thomas [born 25.3.1923 and died 4.12.1923], Elizabeth [born 28.6.1924 and died 17.1.1992], Phyllis [born 15.10.1926 and died 21.2.1988], and James [born 4.12.1928 and died 5.9.2013. James was named after his grandfather James Andrew Byrne who had died from Silicosis on 12.10.1921 in Kalgoorlie].
This photo was taken a couple of days before Joe left for Westonia. Elizabeth Oliver's father, James, is the little boy in front.
Margaret Mary OLIVER nee Byrne [known to all as Maggie) - Ancestry.com
Maggie's cross as seen in previous photo. It has now been passed down the family to Elizabeth Oliver, her granddaughter.
The Telegram to inform Maggie of her husband's accident.
Joseph Thomas Coxon OLIVER's headstone in the Westonia Cemetery.
James OLIVER, Joseph Oliver's son and Elizabeth's father, at the grave in Westonia in 2012.
James OLIVER, Joseph OLIVER's son and Elizabeths father, in October 2012, special guest at Edna May GM. Toured the mine and went to the are where the shaft was located in 1933 where his father died.
Kenneth James OLIVER and Elizabeth Oliver (III), brother and sister, grandchildren of Joseph OLIVER, Photo taken 1 April 2011.
Lake View and Star, Holman Hoist Certificate for Joseph OLIVER, Dated 1st Oct 1931.
Australian Workers Union Membership Ticket dated 3rd Nov 1927, cost 25 shillings.
Name Of Mine On Which Last Employed
Princess Royal GM, Westonia, Western Australia
Diagnosis or cause of accident
Carbon monoxide poisoning.
Place Of Burial
Westonia, Western Australia
Submitted by
Elizabeth OLIVER, Grandaughter
MSW
Married
District
Westonia
Cause of Death
Mine Accidents
Place of marriage
20th July 1920 Kalgoorlie WA
Other Information
There are many things to note about Maggie and Joseph's short lives together and something significant is that Maggie taught Joseph to read and write.
Times were really tough in the early ‘30’s and my grandmother would work, taking in washing and ironing and cleaning houses to try and put food on the table when Joseph was out of work. Back in 1932, Tom Reilly was the shift boss at Edna May Gold Mine and our grandfather took a job underground and away from Kalgoorlie. Gidgie went to Westonia alone and lived in a boarding house with the plan to send for the family when he could find a house. However, that wasn’t to be as Gidgie died in an accident in the mine, two days after turning 38 years old. From what we understand an explosion was set to go off at a certain time and when it didn’t our grandfather was sent to investigate. The explosion did go off and Gidgie died as a result of inhaling carbon monoxide fumes from the explosion.
The mines paid Maggie a little compensation and with that she paid up some outstanding bills and bought a house in Kalgoorlie and still had a bit of a nest egg for emergencies. She worked extremely hard all her life to provide for her children and even though she had quite a number of proposals [because of her cooking abilities she'd say] she never acted on them because Joe was the love of her life. The miners membership, Holman hoist cert were in Joe's wallet at the time of his death. Also in his wallet was the photo of the family standing in their yard in Kalgoorlie a few days before he left for Westonia.
