20 July 1933

Members of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Maori communities are advised that this text may contain names and images of deceased people. Readers should also be aware that certain words, terms or descriptions may be culturally sensitive and be considered inappropriate today, but may have reflected the author’s/creator’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written.

Mother's Feat Of Strength

In moments of extreme despair a human being is able to call on reserves of strength undreamt of at normal times. A woman who lived with her husband and only child on Eyre Peninsula some years ago proved this.

She was a slight little woman scarcely able to carry her child. At one time she and the little boy were alone for several days. Near the house was a stack of several hundreds of bags of wheat. The boy was fond of clambering over this heap.

One day part of the stack slipped to the ground, taking the child with it. Bag after bag tumbled down, covering the child and piling around him. The mother saw the tragedy from the house and rushed to the scene.

In those days the four-bushel bag was in use. With the strength of despair she hurled the huge bags of wheat to one side — lifting and dragging them away as if they contained feathers.

At last she saw the child— stunned and dazed, but otherwise unharmed. The bags in falling had formed an open space over him without crushing him. Laughing and sobbing, the woman carried him indoors where he quickly recovered from a fright.

When the father returned he could hardly believe that his wife had performed such an amazing feat of strength. The woman, later, attempted to handle some of the bags, and found she could not move them.

— 'R.V.H.,' Yeelanna.

Old Noarlunga

Undoubtedly Mr. William Grey was the father of Noarlunga, He went there in the very early days with a Mr. Rigby from England.

Rigby, after a time, went back to the old country, but Grey stayed and spent a fortune at Noarlunga. He seemed to think the place had to go ahead, so he spared neither time nor money to help it along.

However, the time was not ripe, and after purchasing land, building stores, constructing a railway line, importing barges, employing men, and working hard in conjunction with Clark, Galloway, Bosworth, and many others, he finally gave it up, and accepted an appointment as bank manager at Mount Barker, where he died.

Among the first settlers at Noarlunga was Samuel and Arthur Payne, father and son. They bought land near the Port, and Sam Payne and his two boys used to take out cartloads of goods to the home by the river. Travelling among the steep hills the boys used to lower the cart down into the gullies with a long tether rope for a brake.

Then came James Hutchinson, who took up land a quarter to half a mile from Arthur Payne's adjoining farm. David Teakle also came about that time. At the Horseshoe were George Malpas, the Furler family, Haskell, Adams, Tosteven, and many others. All helped to keep the old place going till better things came along.

But it was William Grey who laid the foundation. He and the Payne family one time and another employed every tradesman there was in the place.— G. A. Payne, Marino Rocks.

Dog That Nursed A Cat

When rabbits were a plague and trapping in full swing in this district an incident happened which shows that kindness flows in the veins of animals as well as human beings.

A farmer when trapping was surprised by the strange behavior of his dog, which kept tugging at his sleeve, trying to make him follow it. At last divining the dog's meaning he followed it and perceived a cold miserable cat in a trap.

The frost lay thick on the ground, and the farmer could see where the dog had lain beside the cat to keep it warm. The farmer released the shivering puss, took it home, and placed it near the fire. The dog was restless until he was allowed to enter the kitchen where his new found friend lay.

There he proceeded to lick its wounds and lay down beside it with an affectionate look in his big brown eyes. When the farmer and his wife saw the kind action of the dog they could not stem the tears that ran down their cheeks.— ''Sub Rosa.'

'Gold Digging And Kidnapping'

The Barossa goldfield was discovered in September, 1868. The first discovery was made at Spike Gully, and In the surrounding hills.

Within a month nearly 4,000 persons were at the diggings. This was the biggest 'rush' the colony had known.

As the gold became worked out near the original find it was traced further back into the hills. It was here found contained in 'cement.' This consisted of a conglomerate of stone, quartz, and iron, which had been cemented together by the action of lire and water during past ages. The formation was found at a depth of from 10 to 120 ft., and from. 2 to 18 inches in thickness, and mostly on a fire-clay bottom.

Gold was discovered round about Williamstown and as far afield as Hamley's Gully, eight miles from Barossa.

It was on the Barossa goldfields that a little girl was kidnapped. She was a daughter of one of the gold diggers, and a great favorite with an elderly childless couple on the same fields. This couple idolised the child. It was well known that they owned a considerable amount of wealth.

One morning the child was missing, and when enquiries were made it was found that the elderly couple had disappeared also. It was clear that they had taken the child and gone away. Although enquiries were made, and everything possible done to trace them, nothing could be found of their whereabouts.

Many years passed. Then one day a letter arrived from New Zealand for the girl's family. From it they learned that she had been taken to England from South Australia, and had been given every advantage and comfort possible by her kidnappers, who were by that time both dead. The girl herself was happily married, and living in New Zealand with her husband and family. — 'R.V.H.,' Yeelanna.

Chased Him A Long While

He was one of Nature's children, black as the ace of spades. No one seemed to know exactly where he came from. The prospector who was passing through the station on his way to the city had left him to be taken care of for a few weeks, until called for. That was months ago.

The prospector disappeared, so Tarragin was adopted as one of the station hands, food and clothing found. He was an intelligent 'boy,' the appellation 'boy' applying equally to colored youths of 14 and men up to middle age. Tarragin was about 22.

Questioned about his antecedents, his answer was invariably, 'Me bin pick him up alonga my country, alonga spinifex; long way mine thinkit,' pointing to the north-west. He had not yet felt the call for a 'walk-about.' Plenty to eat and a horse to carry him was sufficient for the day, and as the station covered an area of over 5,000 square miles, the ride about eliminated all desire for a 'walk-about.'

At the station he had shown a desire to learn 'white fellow's yabberstick' reading), and had been given a small picture book, a precious treasure he kept under his pillow. The station hands explained some of the pictures, the meaning of which was not clear to him. There were others he had no difficulty in understanding.

He was of the happiest disposition, and being in perfect health, his laughter was of the genuine, infectious kind. It soon became apparent there was something in the book that had excited his sense of humor. He had been taught some of the letters but was not interested beyond the pictures. Every night before turning in he would take a last look, and burst out laughing while putting the book away. Before starting work in the morning he would do the same and ride off in extra glee.

It became an obsession with him. On returning after a day's work he would get the book again. No one could understand the cause of his hilarity.

Finally he was bribed with tobacco to reveal the secret of his mirth. He produced the book. It fell open at the usual page. A picture of a bull chasing a man at a furious pace, the man running for his life.

'Well, what about it?' asked the hand, 'only a bull chasing a man?' Tarragin, between spells of laughter ? 'He ? He — him bin chase 'im long time; no bin catch him yet!' — 'M.P,' Brighton.

Beating The Thief

A man in this district known for his light fingers, once had a trap set for him in the local store. The manager, seeing him coming, placed an alarm clock on the counter, with the alarm set to go off in a few minutes, and then busied himself at the back of the shop.

Light Fingers came in and slinged the clock into his bag. Just then the manager came up took his order, and asked him the time. Light Finger did not know. He said he never owned a watch, and had no need of the time as he went by the sun. But just then the alarm started in his bag and Light Fingers went red and white by turns. They had caught him nicely.— 'Desperate.'

The Stroke Of Luck

In the early forties when Sir George Grey was Governor he was in the vicinity of the Gawler River. Up till that time no bridge had been constructed over it.

The river was running high, but as nobody had warned him of any danger, the Governor attempted to cross. He was swept down the stream and narrowly escaped drowning.

Later in the day he was talking to a settler who was unaware of the Governor's identity. The settler said. "We've had a stroke of luck today! Governor Grey was nearly drowned in the river."

Greatly surprised the Governor asked why he thought the incident so lucky. "Well," said the man. "I guess we'll get our bridge now!"

"You certainly shall," the Governor replied.

It was not until almost twenty years later, however, that the bridge materialised, and during that time several other accidents occurred at the same place. — 'R.V.H.' Yeelanna.

Mother's Feat Of Strength (1933, July 20). Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), p. 16. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article90887814