Lightning Strikes – Penola Shepherds
In January 1907, James and his older brother
Alex Patterson were mustering sheep on their uncle's farm near Penola in the southeast of South Australia. They counted the sheep they had mustered and realized the count fell short, so they went to look for the lost sheep.
As they rode their horses through the
paddocks, a storm blew in. The two boys took shelter under the tree. The tree
proved to be insufficient to shelter both boys and their horses, so Alec rode
on a little further to find another tree to shelter underneath.[1]
James could see his brother when a flash
of lightning filled the gloom of the storm. James watched his brother’s horse
fall. He ran to his brother to find him sitting upright with his pocketbook in
his hand, as he had been counting sheep when the lightning struck. Next to him
was his dead horse and his dead dog. He then ran to the nearest house and
alerted them to the tragedy.
Mounted Constable Carter, William Patterson
(Alex’s uncle) and Dr Magee from Penola made their way to the site of the
tragedy.[2]
They discovered Alex’s body, his clothes were torn, his right trouser leg was
entirely split, and his boots torn to shreds. His body had been seared in some
places and his hair singed.[3]
They loaded the body onto a cart and brought it back to Penola.
A report on
the incident was published in the Border Watch newspaper as follows,
"I have the honor to report that William Patterson, J.
P. reported to me at 5.30 p.m., on the 26th inst., that his nephew, Alexander
John Patterson, son of James Patterson, of Suthledge, was killed by lightning on
the Victorian border, near Lake Mundi. I left immediately in company with Dr.
Magee and Mr. W. Patterson, and found that, the deceased, his horse, and his
dog were all killed near a gum tree, under which they had taken shelter from
the storm.
The horse had evidently fallen where
struck, and it was bleeding from the ears and was dead. The sheep dog was lying
dead close to the deceased, and its hair was singed. The ground was torn up
round where the deceased lay. He had the body brought into Penola.
James Andrew Patterson, aged 13 years, stated
that between 3 and 4 o'clock on Saturday, he was mustering sheep with his
deceased brother, who was 17 years of age. They found they were short in number,
and were searching for the missing ones when a heavy storm came on, and they both
took shelter under trees. The deceased was sitting under one tree about a chain
away from the one he was under. He had his horse close to him, holding it by
the bridle, and his pocket book in his hand counting up the number of sheep. A
flash of lightning came; and he saw his brother's horse fall. He ran over,
and found his brother sitting as before with his pocket book in his hand. He
spoke to him, but got no answer. He spoke to him again, and found he was dead,
and also the horse and dog. He immediately went to the nearest neighbours, told
the, what had happened, and asked for help.
Dr. C.C. Magee reported on the evening
of the 26th inst. He, in company with M.C. Carter of Penola,
inspected the body of Alexander John Patterson, aged about 17 years, found dead
under a tree, 114 miles from Penola, on the Casterton Road.
He found the right leg of the trousers
badly torn from the middle of the thigh downwards. The right boot was
completely torn off the foot, only the heel and sole of the boot being. left.
The toe of the left boot was torn open. About half a dozen holes were burnt in
the singlet, and a small hole was burnt in the soft felt hat.
On examination of the body he found the hair
on the back of the head and ears singed, about half a dozen small burns on the
back between the shoulder blades corresponding with the holes in the singlet, a
bruise about an inch square between the eighth and ninth rib on the left side, the
pubic hair singed, a burn about the size of the palm of a hand on front of the right
leg between the knee and ankle, a small burn under the right big toe, and the hair singed on the right leg up to the
knee.
From these appearances he considered
death to have been caused by lightning stroke, and to have been instantaneous.[4]
Alexander
was buried in the Penola cemetery, with the Reverend D.A. Souter ministering
over the procession.[5]
Alexander is buried alongside his uncle, Thomas MacDonald, who died just two
weeks prior.[6]
Researched
and written by Allen Tiller © 2025
[1] Youth, Horse, And Dog.', The Register, (28
January 1907), p. 5.
[2] 'TRAGIC DEATH AT PENOLA.', The South Eastern
Times, (29 January 1907), p. 2.
[3] 'KILLED BY LIGHTNING.', The Register, (29 January
1907), p. 4.
[4] 'THUNDERSTORM HEAR PENOLA.', Border Watch,
(30 January 1907), p. 2.
[5] ‘Patterson’, Cemetery Search, Wattle Range Council,
(2025), https://www.wattlerange.sa.gov.au/living-here/cemeteries/cemetery-search?action=grave&id=254374.
[6] 'THUNDERSTORM HEAR PENOLA.', Border Watch,
(30 January 1907), p. 2.
