David Pople (1898 - 1993)

Born 11 Jul 1898 in Cassilis, Victoria, Australia

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Florence (Langworthy) Pople — married 27 Mar 1926 in Auburn, New South Wales, Australia

Descendants

Died 24 Jul 1993 at age 95 in Chatswood, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Joann Copeman [send private message]

Anzacs on Wikitree

World War Two

Biography

David was born in 1898.^[1] He is the son of Stephen Pople and Catherine Greig. In 1926, David married Mary Florence Langworthy.^[2] He passed away in 1993 at the age of 95.^[3]

David served in the Australian Army during WW2.^[4]

David began his schooling at Cassilis when the family lived in that area prior to the first World War. David achieved his Merit Certificate in 1909 and was awarded a scholarship in 1910. ^[5] He is pictured (seated front, centre) in the photo (above-right), at the Cassilis School in early 1911, when he was aged around 12.[Names of all people pictured can be seen by clicking on "comments" below the photo,]^[6]

Cassilis

Cassilis is a ghost town in Gippsland Victoria, Australia. It was named after a small township in Scotland. In the 1800s at the peak of the gold boom, it was a thriving mining centre home to more than 500 people.

Gold bearing quartz reefs were first discovered in 1885 at Long Gully, and by 1889 there was a battery in operation as well as a general store, butchery, bakery and Mechanics' Institute hall. A private school had already been operating when a government school commenced in the hall in 1890. The schools produced exceptional results, with pupils under headmaster McDonald gaining the highest percentage of scholarships in the State for several years. Two hotels, a coffee palace, hairdressers, bookmakers, two bank agencies and two post offices were also in existence. The first hydroelectric power station in Victoria was established at Victoria Falls to provide power and light for the mine.

Of the reef mines, the Mt Hepburn and King Cassilis were the largest. The Mt Hepburn mine was an immense formation nearly a kilometer in length and as much as 15 meters wide. However the ore obtained was heavily mineralized, and gold was lost due to the lack of a smelting plant. An extensive cyanide plant was constructed at King Cassilis mine about 1896, but was not a great success.

By the First World War, most of the available gold was depleted, and both mines closed down. The town rapidly declined and by 1933 there were only 34 inhabitants. The 1939 bushfires destroyed part of the town, and other buildings were taken away. Now Cassilis lies as a ghost town, with no commercial buildings in operation. Set in the 3600 hectare Cassilis Historical Area, the mines are now a local tourist attraction with many relics of the gold mining era.^[7]

Sources

• Peter Knowles. Click the Changes tab for the details of edits by Peter and others.

• Gippsland Heritage Journal No.15 (December 1993); Article by Joan Hoefer, daughter of David Pople. "Corn beef, bread and hot black tea: memories of Cassilis". - Contains extracts from letters by Pople, David. Includes Honour Roll of students attending Cassilis School (Vic), 1906/ 1944- Hoefer, Joan

References

1. ↑ Department of Justice, Victoria, Australia - BDM Online
   [ https://online.justice.vic.gov.au/bdm/indexsearch.doj ]
   Birth: registered 1898/17447
2. ↑ NSW Justice, Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages (Family History Search)
   [ http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/Pages/family-history/family-history.aspx ]
   Marriage: registered 794/1926
3. ↑ Ryerson Index - Sydney Morning Herald - 26 July 1993
4. ↑ [1]
5. ↑ [2]
6. ↑ From Clement Family History at: < http://clementshistory.wikidot.com/clements-family >
7. ↑ [ http://www.townsinaustralia.com/Cassilis.1318.htm ]