[Editor: This obituary, regarding Thomas Kennedy, was published in the “Mining” section of The Star (Ballarat, Vic.), 9 March 1859.]
Mining.
The sudden and violent death of a miner well known on this gold field was reported yesterday in our usual record of inquests held before the District Coroner. We allude to the death of Mr Thomas Kennedy by a fall from his horse while riding in the vicinity of Creswick and Kingston.
To those of our readers who were in Ballarat during the troublous times which preceded the tragic scene at the Eureka Stockade, Mr Kennedy was no stranger. Either by repute or by personal acquaintance, he was known to everybody who knew anything at all about public affairs in this locality, as a miner gifted with much natural powers, and of a warm and energetic temperament.
He took a prominent part in the agitation which followed the death of Scobie, and resulted in the destruction of the Eureka Hotel and the trial and conviction of Bentley; and was subsequently chosen to be one of the delegates to the Government to “demand” the release of Fletcher, Westerby, and McIntyre.
Since the advent of local self-government, and the quiet which supervened thereon, the deceased had noiselessly, but industriously, followed his vocation as a miner, but with poor results to himself.
In common with many others, he had a hard [life, and his several financial] failures compelled him to seek relief in the insolvency court; from his difficulties he had just begun to rally, having entered, with one or two partners, into a remunerative venture with a steam thrashing machine; and it was while out in the adjacent agricultural districts, engaged in his new undertaking, that he met with his untimely death.
The remains of the unfortunate deceased were brought into town yesterday, and will be conveyed this day to the cemetery, as notified in our advertising columns. We regret to have to add that a widow and two children, but indifferently provided for, are left to mourn this untoward bereavement. It is not possible, however, that the miners of Ballarat can allow want to aggravate the sorrows of the widow and fatherless ones of the man who, in times of general trouble and disaster, battled hard for the rights of those with whom he lived and labored as one of themselves.
Source:
The Star (Ballarat, Vic.), 9 March 1859, p. 2
Editor’s notes:
As intimated in the above article (“as notified in our advertising columns”), in the same issue of The Star, on page 3, there appeared a notice regarding the burial of Thomas Kennedy:
The friends of the late Mr Thomas Kennedy are respectfully informed that his remains will leave his late residence, at the rear of Cameron’s Hotel, Golden Point, for the Cemetery, at three o’clock p.m., this day (Wednesday).
Friends will please accept this intimation.
[Editor: Changed “noislessly” to “noiselessly”. Due to a fold in the scanned copy of this article on the Trove website, some text was obscured; no other copy of this text has been located; until such time as the original can be viewed, some bridging text has been inserted, so as to enable the logical flow of the article; the added text has been inserted inside square brackets, as follows: “he had a hard [life, and his several financial] failures compelled him”; it must be emphasised that the added text is not from the original newspaper, but is merely a substitute for the missing text until such time as the proper text has been viewed and added to this site.]
[Editor: The original text has been separated into paragraphs.]
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