Cyril Peter Tiller (1916 – 1946)

Cyril Peter Tiller (1916 – 1946) 

 Cyril Peter Tiller (1916 – 1946) was born in Mallala, South Australia. His preference was to use his middle name when introducing himself. Peter was the sixth child and the youngest son of William (1877- 1951) and Sophia Tiller (nee Forby, 1880 – 1964).

 His brothers and sisters were: Ethel May Tiller (1903–1972), Hurtle George Tiller (1905–1975) Edward Mervyn Tiller (1907–1985), Gladys Catherine Tiller (1910–1993), Dora Rowett Tiller (1913 – 1986), and Thelma Irene Tiller (1918–2003).

  In the 1930s, Peter moved to Monash, in the South Australian Riverland where he worked as a nurseryman.[1]  Peter enrolled with the A.I.F. for World War Two at the age of 24 on 8 July 1840. He was working as a labourer in Mallala at the time.
  Peter was discharged from military service on 12 November 1945 at 29 years and 8 months. He served in the Middle East (10 July 1941 – 16 March 1942) and at New Guinea (19 October 1944 – 20 August 1945). Peter achieved the rank of Private in the AIF. His War Badge No: 50965. His Service No. SN SX8696.[2]

  After his return from World War Two, Peter moved to Queensland to work as a nurseryman at Deagon. He met Helen Joyce Kratzmann (1913 – 1978), who had separated from her husband, Colin Jamieson. Kratzmann intended to divorce her husband and marry Peter. Peter and Helen had a son together, Peter George Tiller.

  At 6:58pm on February 28, 1946, Peter was hit by a train at Deagon Train Station, Queensland. Francis Glenwright, a fifteen-year-old, witnessed the train bearing down on Peter, but failed to warn him, as he was terrified of trains. He admitted during an inquest in Peter’s death that he saw Peter walking across the pedestrian crossing but froze with fear when he realised what was about to happen.[3] Glenwright stated that a train was leaving Deagon Station for Brisbane, and another was entering Deagon station from Brisbane. He watched the man enter the pedestrian crossing not realising a second train was bearing down on him. Glenwright closed his eyes when the train was a foot away from hitting Peter. He admitted that he had been hit by a train as a 10-year-old, and despite riding trains, they terrified him.[4]
It was stated during the inquest that the crew of the train were unaware they had struck a person until they were advised later.[5]
 Peter's partner, Helen Kratzmann was interviewed. She stated that Peter seemed to be losing his hearing, and that may have contributed to his not seeing the second train. She stated that Peter had left home that evening to cross the line to the local general store to purchase some butter.
Police Constable R. A. McNaught, of the Sandgate police, had the final word, stating,

Tiller had been carried 142 feet. His death was accidental, and no negligence could be attached to any person. Tiller apparently was watching the train pulling out from Deagon and did not see the train coming from Brisbane. The inquest was closed.[6]

Peter suffered from severe head injuries and a mutilated foot after being hit by the train at Deagon Station on February 28.[7] Peter died at Brisbane Hospital on 2 March 1946.^[8] Peter’s funeral details were listed in the Courier Mail newspaper as follows,

TILLER, Cyril P.— The Funeral of Cyril Peter Tiller (Interstate Gardens), Braun St., Deagon, will leave the Funeral Chapel, Wickham St., Valley, This (Monday) Afternoon, at 2 o'clock, for Lutwyche Cemetery.      K. M. SMITH. B2695.[9]

 

 

Cyril Peter Tiller is my great-uncle. I lived in Queensland in the early 2000s and visited his grave at Lutwyche Cemetery. Peter’s photo is also on display in the Mallala Museum.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2023

[1] Cyril Peter Tiller, Australian Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980, (1939).

[2] ‘Cyril Peter Tiller.’, National Archives of Australia, (2023), https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=6348467.

[3] 'Too Scared to Warn of Danger', Townsville Daily Bulletin, (10 April 1946), p. 1.

[4] 'Boy Too Scared', Cairns Post, (10 April 1946), p. 5.

[5] 'Too Scared to Give Warning', Morning Bulletin, (10 April 1946), p. 4.

[6] 'Scared-Stiff Boy Unable to Warn', The Telegraph, (9 April 1946), p. 3.

[7] 'Here It Is in Brief', The Courier-Mail, (1 March 1946), p. 3

[8] 'Advertising', The Telegraph, (12 April 1946), p. 8.

[9] 'Family Notices', The Courier-Mail, (4 March 1946), p. 8.

 Haunted Salisbury South Australia

Haunted Salisbury: South Australia is the culmination of many years of research into the haunted history of Salisbury, South Australia by award winning paranormal historian, Allen Tiller. In this book, Allen Tiller investigates the origins of historic local hauntings and crimes, Salisbury’s founding, and the people who shaped the City of Salisbury, some of whom, are now alleged to haunt the places they lived and worked.
Allen Tiller is a university educated, award-winning paranormal historian from Gawler, South Australia. He was a member of the cast of television show Haunting: Australia, and the best-selling author of The Haunts of Adelaide: Revised Edition, and Haunted Adelaide, the first book in this series about hauntings, history and crimes in Australia.

Purchase your copy here: BUY NOW

Lost Hotels: The Junction Hotel - Roseworthy.

In 1867, plans were submitted to the Bench of Magistrates for licensing of a proposed hotel at Roseworthy. George Powning had his submission rejected as the board thought the dining room and bedrooms were too small for a hotel catering to the region at the time, especially one across from a train station.[1] Licensing for the hotel took almost a year to be approved. The first applications were presented in January 1867, but as the construction of the hotel needed to be completed the board did not think it appropriate to be open to service. It took a memorial signed by numerous people of the Roseworthy community to be presented to the licensing bench for approval to open be granted on 15 December 1868. The first publican was William Steed who ran the hotel from 1868 to 1902.[2]

As an interesting side note, the Bunyip newspaper printed in 1871 that the Roseworthy school was built through the efforts of Mr Steed, publican of the Junction Hotel, Roseworthy.[3]

H.T. Kurtz was the publican after Steed, having the hotel from 1903 to 1905. From 1906 to 1909, J. McFayden was the publican. E.A. Wickens was publican between 1910 and 1911, followed by Florence Jennings (1912), Chas. Nottle (1913) and then H.A. Payne 1914- 1916. Between 1917 and 1923 the publican was C. J. M. Lucas.[4]
 Mrs J Roberts was then publican between 1924 and 1926, followed by Mrs W. Roberts (1927) and William Roberts between 1928 and 1933. From 1936 until 1955, the publicans were Ethel Joyce and Colin Campbell Leitch. In December 1954 the Publican licensing board granted a transfer of the license to Colin Campbell Leitch from the Junction Hotel, Roseworthy to Leitch’s Hotel.[5]

 

The Junction Hotel license was transferred to Leitch’s Hotel, which was situated on Main North Road. The Hotel cost £20, 000 and was built at the junctions of roads that led to the Riverland, Gawler and Tanunda (pre-existing highways.) The hotel had 12 rooms with 6 bedrooms with ensuites and was designed by architects Walkley and Welbourn. It was built by the construction company J. Jenkins and Sons.[6]
The Hotel considered local farmers and the rising wine industry, with the News reporting that the hotel had a specialised round bar and a wine-tasting terrace. Steven Clark MP officially opened the new hotel on 18 March 1954.[7]

A Bunyip newspaper report stated that the ‘lounge accommodates 40 people and dining room 32…Outside the beer garden is set on a lawn, and the playground, with shell grit pit, includes a children’s slide and kanga-plane.”[8]

 

The former Junction Hotel was demolished in the 1960s.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2023

Roseworthy Junction Hotel [B 45255], State Library of South Australia, (2023), https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/B+45255

 

---

[1] 'BENCH OF MAGISTRATES.', South Australian Register, (24 September 1867), p. 3.

[2] J.L. Hoad, Hotels and Publicans in South Australia, (1986), p. 341.

[3] 'ROSEWORTHY SCHOOL DEMONSTRATION.', Bunyip, (2 December 1871), p. 3.

[4] J.L. Hoad, Hotels and Publicans in South Australia, (1986), p. 341.

[5] '2 hotels granted licences', News, (7 December 1954), p. 33.

[6] 'START ON HOTEL IN FORTNIGHT', News, (23 October 1953), p. 10.

[7] 'Bar outstanding', News, (15 December 1954), p. 37.

[8] 'NEW HOTEL HAS GALA OPENING.', Bunyip, (24 December 1954), p. 5.

Tracy Muzyk murder - update March 2023

 Tracy Muzyk murder - update March 2023

On a previous blog post – found here (http://hauntedadelaide.blogspot.com/2016/07/muzyk-murder.html), I detailed the gruesome murder of Tracy Muzyk. I have since spoken to family members and follow reports of those convicted closely.

 On 3 March 2023, ABC News reporter Candice Prosser published a report on one of the convicted murderers, Bruce McKenzie. McKenzie and four other people were convicted for the prolonged torture and murder of Muzyk in 1996. McKenzie was 18 years old when he was convicted. He was paroled in 2021 and placed in a pre-release centre, where he was caught in possession of contraband reported as “10 suboxone strips, a white parcel described by McKenzie as "smack", a packet of tobacco and a USB memory stick, hidden in his underpants.” [1]

McKenzie’s locker was also searched where nine mobile phones were found. He admitted to smoking cannabis “due to Covid isolation and harassment from other prisoners.”
In his defence, McKenzie stated that the contraband had been smuggled into the prison due to him being threatened by a group of men who ‘stood over’ him.

 

McKenzie was raised in Victoria, where his family still reside. His lawyer argued that it would be beneficial to McKenzie to be paroled to Victoria where he would receive support from his family. The South Australian Parole Board had no objection to McKenzie being paroled to Victoria, however, in doing so, the Victorian Parole Authority would assume supervision obligations for the rest of McKenzie’s life.

On 3 March 2023, The Supreme Court re-sentenced the 44-year-old McKenzie. Justice Kevin Nicholson, stated of Muzyk murder, "The many acts of torture were barbaric and inhuman. [McKenzie] was also only 18 years old. He had grown up within a dysfunctional family,"

"You told [a social worker] that you were involved in the assault on [Tracy] at the house and that you continued on out into the paddock, at the paddock, you tried to stab [Tracy] with a star dropper. You also picked up a rock which took two people to hold and dropped it on [Tracy's] head. You then stabbed her to try and kill her.
You told the social worker that the reason for your involvement was peer pressure because the others were egging you on. After leaving school, you moved from one youth refuge to another. You involved yourself with illegal drugs. On the day of the murder, you had taken heroin, and you described yourself as being 'off my face'."

After his concluding remarks, Justice Nicholson sentenced McKenzie to five months imprisonment, and another eight months non-parole period for the murder of Muzyk, which was backdated to August last year.[2]

McKenzie is due for release in May 2023.

---

[1] Candice Prosser, ‘Murderer who tortured Adelaide woman Tracy Muzyk to be released from prison within months.’, ABC News, (2023), https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-03/tracy-muzyk-killer-ian-bruce-mckenzie-to-be-released-again/102049450.

[2] Sean Fewster, ‘Torturer, murderer back behind bars months after parole.’, The Advertiser, (2023), www.adelaidenow.com.au%2Ftruecrimeaustralia%2Fpolice-courts-sa%2Ftracy-muzyk-murderer-ian-bruce-mckenzie-back-behind-bars-for-trying-to-bring-drugs-into-prerelease-centre%2Fnews-story%2F53d19fc3254381e89106aeb573ae45e2&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=dynamic-high-control-score&V21spcbehaviour=append.