John COUBROUGH [2215]

  General Notes:

on John and Sarah's marriage certificate, John states he is a bachelor of 30 years of age.

The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954) Thu 12 May 1949 Page 15 OLD TIMERS AGED 90 AND 100 MEET
OLD TIMERS AGED 90 AND 100 MEET
A 90-year-old Goldfields identity whose father kept watch on Peter Lalor while he sheltered in a shaft at the time of the Eureka Stockade, paid a friendly call last Tuesday afternoon on an old Perth resident who will be 101 years of age next September.

The caller was 90-year-old Mr. George Hooley, a well known mining identity who has been following the lure of gold since he was a boy, and only gave it up four months ago. The man he called on was Mr. John James Coubrough, a retired Perth wheelwright, aged 100 years, who is living with his daughter, Mrs. S. M.Dickerson, at Ewing-street, Welshpool. The meeting was arranged at 4r. Hooley's special request because of his desire to have a chat with a "fellow old-timer."

Mr. Coubrough, who attributes his longevity to leading an active life and not worrying, as still possessed of all his faculties and walks about determinedly, with the aid of a stick. Born at Paisley. Scotland, in 1848, he was brought to Melbourne at the age of two. As a youth he was a keen boxer and on Tuesday he recalled vividly some of his fights at Jim Mace's boxing stadium in Bourke-street, near the Theatre Royal, and later when he came to this State how he knocked out a famous fighter named Black Paddy in what he described as a "friendly argument." That, he emphasised, was before the Beaufort-street bridge was built Mr. Coubrough recalled Melbourne in its early days and the old historic Batman Hotel.

Claiming to be the oldest wheelwright in Australia, Mr. Coubrough said that he had made thousands of wheels for elite turnouts in Perth and drays and wagons for the gold-rush days at Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie. He was married at the age of 45 and his wife predeceased him about eight years ago. He has more than 30 grandchildren, he says. "I have handled a lot of money in my time and spent a lot of it, too," said Mr. George Hooley, who was born at Mt. Doran, 18 miles from Ballarat, Victoria, and started following the "colours" while he was still a boy. His life has been one of hardship, incident and spectacular discoveries interspersed with lean periods. A full volume would be required to record even the. highlights of his adventures. He was one of the first 17 men at the Coolgardie rush in 1892 and found the Lady Loch mine three miles from the township. The first 500 tons, crushed at Bayley's South, went 5oz per ton.

FOUND WHITE CLIFFS
Mr. Hooley was the man who found the White Cliffs opal field on Mt. Brown road, about 60 miles from Wilcannia. He sold his interest for £16,000 and the field yielded at least £10,000,000, he said. He pegged out the main reef at Kanowna, known as the White Feather. There were three 12-acre blocks and they were sold to Berbeck Hoffman and Co., and floated into a £75,000 company of which Mr. Hooley got one-sixth in shares.

Mr. Hooley has prospected on goldfields in all parts of the State from the Kimberleys south. At one time he was prospecting for 12 months in the desert country and grew a 2ft. beard which, he said, he could tie around his neck.

Another time he witnessed cannibalism among wild natives out from Hall's Creek. He lost an eye some ten years ago when being brought into hospital for treatment in a motor car. On a rough track portion of his head and the eye itself were crushed by a door handle. Still lithe and agile in spite of his 90 years, Mr. Hooley said that he was not feeling his best because, after smoking all his life, he gave up the habit very recently. The repercussions, he declared, were strange.

DEATH. 10 Oct 1949, Midland Junction, Western Australia, Australia

DEATH. WA BDM Death Reg: #133/1949
Family name Coubrough
Given names John
Place of death District of Swan
DEATH NOTICE. COUBROUGH: On October 10, 1949, at Midland Junction, John, the dearly loved husband of the late Sarah Coubrough, and loving father of Katie (deceased), May (deceased), Alex (deceased), Sarah, John and Florrie, grandfather of 40 grandchildren and great-grandfather of 30: aged 101 years.

DEATH NOTICE. COUBROUGH: On October 10, John, dearly loved father and father-in-law of John and Nell, fond granddad of Jack and Alec; aged 101 years. Too dearly loved to be forgotten.

DEATH NOTICE. COUROUGH: On October 10, 1949. John James, loving father of Ellen, Katherine (Mrs. Cooper, deceased), and father-in-law of Harold Will never forget.

DEATH NOTICE. COUBROUGH: On October 10, John beloved father of Florrie, father-in-law of Leslie, grandfather of Tom, Leslie, John, Billy, Betty, Margaret, Shirley and Pam. Always remembered.

DEATH NOTICE. COUBROUGH: On October 10, John, beloved grandfather of Arthur and Florrie and great-grandfather of Arthur.

DEATH NOTICE. COUBROUGH: On October 10, dearly loved granddad of Ellen and Ralph Lyster, Great-granddad of Shirley, Ann and Geoffrey.

DEATH NOTICE. COUBROUGH: On October 10, 1949, at Midland Junction. John. dearly loved grandfather of Alex and Stella Cooper, great-granddad of Ellen, Alex and Leslie: aged 101 years. Peacefully sleeping.

DEATH NOTICE. COUBROUGH: On October 10, dearly loved granddad of Allan and Lilly, great-granddad of Jimmy, Bobby, Shirley, Barry.

DEATH NOTICE. COUBROUGH: On October 10. In loving remembrance of granddad. Inserted by Mrs. Whiteman and family.

DEATH NOTICE. COUBROUGH (John): On October 10, 1949, loved granddad of Harold and Ethel great-granddad of Harold, June and Brian Cooper.

DEATH NOTICE. COUBROUGH (John): On October 10, beloved granddad of Gladys, Les, Mavis, Frank; aged 101 years. With a farewell left unspoken / You peacefully passed away.

BURIAL. KARRAKATTA CEMETERY
COUBROUGH JOHN
Age 101 years
Place of residence MIDLAND JUNCTION
Date of Death 10/10/1949
Area or Denomination ANGLICAN
Section LE
Gravesite 0713
http://www2.mcb.wa.gov.au/NameSearch/details.php?id=KB00088295

OBITUARY. DEATH OF ONE OF STATE'S OLDEST INHABITANTS. Probably the oldest inhabitant of the metropolitan area, John Coubrough, of Ewing-street, Welshpool, died at Midland Junction on Monday afternoon at the age of 101. Among his surviving relatives are 40 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren.

Last night his eldest grandchild, Mr. T. A. Cooper (40), of Hooley street, Midland Junction, said that his grandfather had been born in Paisley, Scotland, on September 12, 1848, and had come to Australia about a year later with his parents to settle in Victoria. One of his grandfather's brothers was still living in Victoria.

About 50 years ago the late Mr. Coubrough had come to this State with his wife and family, and had lived for a time in a tent near High-street, Fremantle. There had been six daughters and one son of the marriage and the son, Mr. John Coubrough, jun., was living in Charles-street, Welshpool. The late Mr. Coubrough's wife, Sarah, had died in 1923.

Mr. Cooper said that his grandfather had been a wheelwright and blacksmith in Midland Junction for many years. He had been an inveterate pipe-smoker and had smoked up to a few days before his death. He had taken pride in telling his relatives that he had smoked since the age of ten years. He had also been a beer drinker until a few months ago. He had never worn glasses. Except for a time about 30 years ago when he had suffered fractures of the ribs in a fall, his grandfather had never been in hospital during his long life.

He had only known of three occasions on which his grandfather had ridden in an automobile, said Mr. Cooper.

John married Sarah CRUICKSHANK [361] [MRIN: 124], daughter of James CRUICKSHANK [56] and Sarah ECCLES [55], in 1889 in , Victoria, Australia.⁸⁰⁴ (Sarah CRUICKSHANK [361] was born about 1860, died on 13 Oct 1936 in Perth, WA, Australia ⁸⁰⁵ and was buried in Oct 1936 in Karrakatta, WA, Australia ⁸⁰⁶.)