Meekatharra
"End of the Earth"
by P.R. Heydon
ISBN 0 85905 196 X (1994 new), Hard Cover, 438 pp, illustrated, 660grams
$60.00 + POST
Meekatharra - "End of the Earth" celebrates the centenary of Meekatharra and covers the period 1894 to 1994. It tells of the gold discoveries and the ups and downs of gold mining. Being the railhead for the vast hinterland to the north and the northwest, stories abound of transport by donkey and camel teams; of the early motor vehicles; and the present day road trains.
There are tales of champion horsemen, gun shearers, drovers who brought sheep and cattle down the lonely stock routes and many personal reminiscences of former residents. Interspersed between chapters are numerous Australian bush poems written by former Meekatharra residents.
THE AUTHOR
Phil Heydon's maternal grandparents walked from Mullewa to Cue with a young baby in 1895 and his paternal grandparents arrived in 1904. He was born in Cue in 1920. Commencing work as a Telegraph Messenger in the Cue post office in 1935, he served in all Murchison post offices, was Postmaster at Big Bell from 1947 to 1951, and retired as Senior Postmaster of the Perth GPO in 1977. He was awarded the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977 and the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1979.