On Monday 4 February 1929, 25-year-old Bertha
Cook was doing her washing in her backyard, while her son Lloyd played nearby.
Her husband Fred, a returned soldier and fruit grower, was working in the front
yard. The sky was overcast but did not look threatening. As thunderstruck a
bolt of lightning struck Bertha in the head. Lloyd was struck by the shockwave
that followed, but through his daze, managed to get into the front yard of the
property and alert his father that something was wrong with Bertha.[1]
Fred came into the backyard to find Bertha’s
clothes ablaze. He put the fire out and
tried to revive his wife, but she was dead. He then ran for medical help. Lightning
had struck her on the shoulder, her shoulder and legs were ‘charred to
cinders,’ and her shoes were ‘torn from her feet like tissue paper.’[2]
In December
1895, sisters, Mrs King and Mrs Daly were walking along the North Road near the
Reepham Hotel at Islington when lightning struck. The two ladies were thrown to
the ground unconscious. When both ladies were roused, neither could use their
legs. Mrs King was taken into the Reepham Hotel where it was revealed she had
been severely burned across her body, her hair had been singed, and her boots
blown from her feet.[1]
Mrs Daly was far more fortunate, escaping with a severe shock only. A horse
that was standing not far from where the two women were struck, was killed
instantly.[2]
The ladies
were attended by well-known Adelaide Doctor C.G. Lermitte. Dr Charles Gower
Lermitte was born in Canada in approximately 1862. He was educated in medicine
at Richmond England.[3]
On 28 May 1889, Charles married Augusta
Katherine Winifred Scott at Walkerville, South Australia.[4]
In 1890 the
couple moved to Deloraine in Tasmania where Charles worked as a Doctor.[5]
In 1900, Dr Lermitte was working from Olive House, Gilberton, South Australia.[6]
In October 1920 it was reported in the
Adelaide Observer that Doctor Lermitte had committed suicide at his home in
Kent Town. He was found dead in his bed by his wife. It was concluded he had
taken prussic acid, what we know today as hydrogen cyanide.
During an inquest into the doctor’s death, it was shown that he had been in a
suicidal state for some time prior. A letter was produced at the inquest in Dr
Lermittes hand, which stated he had previously taken 43 grains of sulphate of
morphia, enough to kill 3 or four men, but he had barely felt affected.
The coroner was surprised at the ruling
of temporary insanity and questioned the jury. Several of the Coroner's own
friends were intimately acquainted with the doctor and did now think he would
take his own life. [7]
Charles
Gower Lermitte, M.R.C.S. Eng. & L.S.A. Lond. was 40 years old at the time of his death. He
owned medical practices at Gilberton, Kent Town and Norwood.[8]
Dr Lermitte was buried at Nailsworth Cemetery.[9]
On October 7, 1907, 21-year-old Alfred Harold
Chapman of Weaver’s Lagoon, was working on the farm of Mr James Latty near
Yorketown.[1]
Chapman was droving stock from a paddock heading back towards the farmhouse
when a storm passed overhead. Lightning erupted, with one bolt striking Chapman
as he rode his horse.
A report into the lightning strike
stated that the lightning entered Chapman through his head, splitting his hat
in two, and blowing its remains over 12 feet away. The lightning traveled down
the side of his head, burning his face, ear and neck, before burning through
patches of skin on his chest and legs. Most of his shirt and other clothing
were found over 12 yards away (approx. 10.5 metres) from his corpse. Chapman
was holding a dead rabbit in his hand, which had been caught by the dog which
accompanied him – the dog remained unharmed.[2]
The saddle on which Chapman was riding had a hole burned through it. There were
lightning marks on the horse’s shoulder, and down its forelegs towards its
hooves. Despite the thunderstorm, no rain fell on the dead man on horse.[3]
'
body was transported back to Adelaide. He was buried at Clarendon Cemetery,
near his family home. He had been at the Yorketown farm only a few weeks. [4]
On October
18, 1898, 15-year-old Harold Gilding of West Mardon was in his parents’ garden
when a thunderstorm rolled through. Harold was speaking to his mother, who
stood just a few yards away when a flash of lightning appeared, which struck
Harold to the ground.
The bolt tore Harold's clothing from his
body and burnt him from head to foot. It was reported that the lightning
entered through his forehead, passed around inside his head, burned all his
hair off, and then exited through his foot, singeing his boots.[1]
His boots were blown off his body and found some distance away.[2]
Despite being knocked down due to the
blast, his mother received no injuries, other than the shock of her son being
burned alive in front of her. Harold’s nine-year-old brother, Benjamin, who was
also outside picking peas at the time of the lightning strike received
scratches on his face from the soil and stones which the lightning raised into
the air and catapulted in his direction.
Dr Borthwick was called to assess and
expressed his opinion that the electricity had passed through the boy killing
him instantaneously. No inquest was held. [3]
The Union Mill was established in 1855 by Harrison Brothers, opening on the site of their unsuccessful tannery. It was the second flour mill in Gawler. In 1863, it was purchased by Walter Duffield. In 1880, The Adelaide Milling Company bought the Union Mill. In 1933, Jeff Brothers leased the mill from the Adelaide Milling Company.
In 1864, the middle floor of the mill gave way. The western wall fell, and many of the windows were blown out by the weight of mountains of wheat. The destruction poured into what is now Julian Terrace. In the 1870s, a train siding, coming from the tram line in Murray Street, was built into the Union Mill yard. The rail line had its own turntable to spin trucks around and take them back the way they had come after loading and unloading. The mill also had its own weigh station. Fire destroyed much of the building in 1914. Rebuilt, but smaller. The mill ceased operations in 1968. In 1975, fire destroyed parts of the southern section of the building.
Centrelink and the CES were situated here in the late 1980s and early 1990s. There was a medieval-themed restaurant that operated on the second floor in the 1990s. Where Asian Central is located today, there was an open-air dining area, which was enclosed in the early 1990s.
Today, the Salvation Army, Pole for Fitness, Asian Central and Action Psychology occupy the retail spaces of the former Union Mill.
25 Murray Street was built for the South Australian Banking Company (later known as the Bank of South Australia) by builder Henry Brown. It was designed by architect Thomas English, who would later become Mayor of Adelaide and a Member of the Legislative Council. It opened on the 4th of April 1859.[1] The South Australian Banking Company operated from the premises between 1859 and 1892. The second owner of the building was the Union Bank of South Australia, between 1892 and 1928. It was then occupied by Rudall and Rudall circa 1928.
Rudall and Rudall was founded by John Rudall (1820 – 1897) in 1854.[2] John Rudall was Gawler’s first Town Clerk a position he held until 1881 when he was appointed the resident Gawler Magistrate. Samuel Bruce Rudall (1859 – 1945), John’s son, took over the position of Town Clerk in 1881, a position he held until 1914. He was also a State MP between 1905 and 1915. Samuel’s son, Reginald John Rudall (1885-1955), was a Rhodes Scholar in 1908. He was a state MP from 1933 until 1955, including a seven-year term as Minister for Education, and nine years as Attorney General under the Playford Government. Reginald and his wife suffered greatly during World War two when both their sons, Jon and Peter, were killed in action.
In 1955, the Rudall connection to the law practice ended when Reginald died. Lawrence McAusland Bills (1913 – 1975) then took over the law firm. He served Rudall and Rudall from 1937 until his death in 1974. His son, Anthony ‘Tony’ McAusland Bills (1941-2010), then took over Rudall and Rudall. Peter Ryan and Nick Pullman are today the partners of the firm and are supported by seven associate lawyers and seven legal assistants, making it the largest legal firm in the Gawler region.
Go underground via the link below.
Researched and written by Allen Tiller
[1] 'The Bank of South Australia', Bunyip (), (15 April 1892), p. 2. [2] Rudall and Rudall Lawyers, History, (2024), https://www.rudalls.com.au/about/history/.
The Prince Albert Hotel on Murray Street opened as the New Bushman Hotel on 31 March 1847 – the sign above the door states it was opened in 1859 by J. McEwan, but this is most likely the date it opened under the Prince Albert name. It retained this name until 30 March 1851, when it was renamed Young’s Hotel. The name reverted to the New Bushman Hotel in July 1852, then Smiths Hotel from 1855 until March 1859, when it was renamed The Prince Albert Inn. As of April 1869, the hotel has had the name The Prince Albert Hotel.[1] In the late 1990s, it became Fibber Magee’s until 2011.[2] The hotel name was then reverted to The Prince Albert Hotel. The hotel’s current legal trading name is the P/A Hotel.[3]
A local legend states a tunnel used to run underneath Murray Street from the Gawler Arms Hotel into the Prince Albert Hotel, with another tunnel running up to the Hutchinson Hospital (built in 1913) on East Terrace. There is no evidence in the basement to prove either of these alleged tunnels true.
