Eastern Goldfields Miners Memorial at the WA Museum, Kalgoorlie WA
Pietro “Peter” ALBA
Age at Death36
Date Of Death5 October 1939 : Reg 23/1939 Yilgarn
Place Of BirthTirano, Sondrio, Lombardia, Italy
OccupationMachine Miner
Daily News, Friday 6 October 1939, page 7
Kalgoorlie Miner, Saturday 7 October 1939, page 6
Map
Eastern Goldfields Miners Memorial at the WA Museum, Kalgoorlie WA - Photo Paul Doust
Name Of Mine On Which Last Employed
Wither's Find GM, Bullfinch, Western Australia
Diagnosis or cause of accident
Head blown off in explosion. Giacomo ARMANI also killed in same accident.
Place Of Burial
Karakatta Cemetery, Perth, Western Australia
Submitted by
Eric Chamberlain - Volunteer
MSW
Single
District
Yilgarn
Cause of Death
Mine Accidents
Father
Giuseppe ALBA (1876-1905)
Mother
Maria Orsola DELLA VEDOVA (1878-1968)
Other Information
FUNERAL NOTICES
ALBA.--The Friends of the late Mr. Peter Alba, of Bullfinch. are respectfully informed that his remains will be interred in the Roman Catholic portion of the Karrakatta Cemetery at 350 o'clock THIS (Saturday) AFTERNOON. The Cortege is appointed to
leave the Service Chapel of Arthur J. Purslowe and Co. 664 Newcastle-street. Leederville. At 30 o'clock. Friends may proceed by the train leaving Perth at 3.10 o'clock, ARTHUR J. PURSLOWE AND CO.. 20 Angove-street. North Perth, Leederville. Guildford. Victoria Park. Tel. B2649. In conjunction with L. A. Miller. Funeral Director, Merredin.
Arrival in Australia:-
Name: Mr. P Alba
Departure Place: London, United Kingdom
Arrival Date: 15 Dec 1925
Arrival Place: Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia
Vessel: Orama
Withers Find, Bullfinch
The Wither's Find Gold Mine is approximately 5 kilometres east of Bullfinch. Where the Wither's Find Road turns northeast to the north, an unmarked track heads east for 200 meters to a small water-filled pit. 50 meters further east south-east is a 100-meter line of trenches trending west-north-west to east-south-east. Various minor workings are in the surrounding area including some close to the road. While the region is known for wheat farming, Wither's Find is located in a large block of scrub.
The site was discovered around 1922, a narrow 12 inch reef, in a depression between two laterite rises. A number of prospectors were soon on the field, with varying results, but nothing earth-shattering in gold was found. The original find was made by Slade and Withers (surnames). Bewick Moreing and Co took a working option over the mine but found little. However, floaters were found, and some prospectors were getting gold in quartz from small narrow reefs at the time, so there is some gold in the area. In 1939, two Italian miners died at the mine when explosives misfired. The local newspaper reported the incident, although names at that stage had not been released. Deaths from mining were so common at the time, no other newspaper bothered to report it.
