Rookwood Cemetery Discoveries

  We are coming to the end of 2024, and this blog is one of reflection upon all the blogs that have been published under “ Rookwood Cemetery Discoveries”. This year I have highlighted many people who gave their lives for others; those that turned their lives around and benefitted others; many tragic unfortunate deaths and of course those that went off the deep end and shocked us all! The most popular blog this year was the one devoted to Euphemia Bridges Bowes . Mother of eleven children, wife of a Wesleyan minister performing all the duties associated with her role as well as establishing the First Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and other organisations. She worked constantly until she died - at the age of 85! A woman we should all be proud of who until a few months ago had fallen through the cracks of time. Another woman that caught your eye was Ada Hannah Coffill, a woman who completed the full funeral parlour experience as being the first Australian born woman to receiv...

 On the Literature cruise I recently attended we were privileged to listen to the words of Nick McKenzie, the award-winning journalist who with another award-winning journalist, Chris Reason, won the "defamation trial of the century", an historic Federal Court lawsuit brought by decorated soldier Ben Roberts-Smith. It was judged that four of the six murder allegations in Afghanistan presented to the court by the journalists in defence of their earlier reporting were substantially true.   For the final NEW Rookwood blog, I wanted to end the year with a true hero. One who continued to be a hero long after he hung up his uniform.  JOHN WOODS WHITTLE John was born on the 3rd of August 1883 on Huon Island Tasmania, one of seven children to Henry Whittle and his wife Catherine. He enlisted as a private in the Tasmanian Contingent during the Second Boer War. He reached South Africa in 1901, saw action in the Cape Colony and returned to Tasmania in 1902 and soon after joine...

 I guess you could say with regards to the person I'm honouring today, that once you become a "Lady", you are always one - even if your husband has died and you've remarried. ELIZABETH REID COTTON Elizabeth was born in Tasmania in 1842, the eldest of 3 children to Arthur Thomas Cotton and his wife Elizabeth. Arthur was a British General and irrigation engineer and came from a military family. He spent a great deal of time in British India constructing canals and entered the Madras engineers in 1818 fighting in the First Burmese war in 1819. Arthur devoted his life to the construction of canals and dams throughout India from 1825. He continued until ill health meant a move to Australia. By 1850 he was back in India with renewed vigour building more ambitious projects until his retirement in 1861 where he was considered one of the most revered people in India. He was knighted that year. Elizabeth spent most of her childhood in Madras, India and upon the family r...

There are many notable people lying in Rookwood forgotten but in plain sight. The man I honour today has his surname as a municipality in Western Sydney. We may recognise the name of the place but do we know who the person was it was named after? ARTHUR TODD HOLROYD - Physician, Adventurer, Barrister, Judge, Mayor Arthur was born on the 1st of December 1806 in London England to merchant Stephen Holroyd and Elizabeth, nee Lofthouse. His father died when he was three years of age and he was educated at private schools. At 18 he studied medicine in Winchester and then Edinburgh. He married Sophia Rachel Abbs in 1830, they had one child, a female, Emily, the following year, whilst he practised as a physician in London. Arthur decided that the career opportunities as a physician were limited and studied to be a lawyer. He was admitted to Lincolns Inn London in 1835 and decided after his first year to take a "gap" year and travel! Yes, he was not struggling. He studied Italia...