The Story of Bridget Neylon
A Woman of Faith and Courage
Thomas GRACE was born in Kilkenny, Ireland to Thomas GRACE and Catherine DUNNNE in 1858. He migrated to Australia and married Bridget NEYLON on the 18th January 1888. Bridget was the daughter of Denis NEYLON and Honor LEARY and was born in Clare, Ireland in 1858. They started their family of 6 children with the birth of Denis in October 1888, Thomas junior in August 1890, John in Sept 1892, Norah in Aug 1895, Catherine in July 1897 and Ellen in April 1901. No school enrolments for the children could be found.
In the Gympie Times on the 3rd Oct 1901, Thomas was called as a witness against petty theft against two men. He was working in the Scottish Mine, but a Mine Manager of 5 South Scottish and Oriental in August. Sadly, on the 5 April 1902,Thomas was working at the No.2 shaft of the Scottish Mine and it was to be his last shift. The Gympie Times on the 7th January 1902 tells the full story.
AT THE NO. 2 SHAFT, SCOTTISH GYMPIE.
An accident occurred at the No. 2 shaft of the Scottish Gympie Gold Mines on Saturday afternoon, which subsequently resulted in the death of a miner named Thomas Grace. It appears that the day shift had instructions to coil the rope in the south chamber of the shaft, in order to take out the slack, an operation which it is necessary to perform every 3 or 4 months. On Saturday five men went down the north chamber on the mullock bucket, which was subsequently knocked away to the surface and landed. The bucket in the south chamber was then lowered to within 20 feet of the bottom of the shaft and remained there for some few minutes. The men started to lay the slabs on which to coil the rope and on this work being completed stopped until the south bucket was brought to the bottom. Four of the men, Jenkins, Graham, Jones and Carkeet then went into the pump chamber in the north end of the shaft to wait while the engine driver threw the clutch out of gear on the north drum, but Grace himself unfortunately went into the south chamber and sat down about the centre, on the slabs. In four or five minutes the bucket descended at a rapid rate and struck him, but even had it come down, slowly, it is explained by one who was there, it must inevitably have struck him had he not seen it. From what we have been able to gather, what happened on the surface was this. Having lowered the slabs on which to coil the rope, the engine driver, J. Telford, brought the north bucket to the surface and landed it. He applied the foot brake to the north drum and then reached over to the lever of the steam break, which was fitted to the south drum, and threw the clutch out of the drum. Almost immediately he noticed the steam brake was not fully on as the south drum was revolving. Again grasping the lever of the steam brake he applied it fully, and the brake acted instantly, but he was about a second too late, as the engine had gone about three quarters of a revolution, with the result that bucket went to the bottom of the shaft. Grace was badly crushed. Being in a sitting position, the full weight practically broke him in two, for both the spine and breast bone were broken, while the scalp was torn off the top and back of his head. Dr. Morgan was sent for and was quickly in attendance, and ordered the unfortunate man’s removal to the Hospital, whither he was taken. With the whole of the lower portion of his body paralysed, Grace lingered on, and losing consciousness about 1 o’clock on Sunday afternoon, died quietly two hours later. The funeral took place yesterday after noon and was very largely attended. The employees of the Scottish mine as also the members of the H.A.C.B. Society, of which deceased was a member, followed the remains to their last resting place. Deceased, who was for some time manager of the 5 South Eastern and Oriental, was about 44 years of age, and leaves a wife and six young children, the eldest 13 years and the youngest a baby of a few months, to mourn their irreparable loss.
In 1908 Bridget lived at Wise Street, Gympie. She was residing at Ashford’s Hill in 1913 and remained there till her death.
The Catholic Press on the 29th May 1941 tells more of this woman: MRS. B. GRACE.
On the 24th ult., at the Mater Hospital, Brisbane, fortified by the last rites of the Church, occurred the death of Mrs. Brigid Grace, of Ashford Hill, Gympie (Q.). Mrs. Grace was a native of Ennis, County Clare, Eire, and went to Queensland as a young woman in 1879, her destination being Gympie, where her cousin, the late Mr. Anthony Neylon, resided. Some years afterwards she was happily married to the late Thomas Grace, and during her long residence in Gympie she was noted for her sterling character, her devotion to her religion, and to the care of her family. During her illness she was visited by Rev. Fathers O’Reilly, P. Murphy, M. O’Connell (formerly of Gympie), Hogan, Coleman, McGinley, and old friends and relatives among the Sisters of Mercy and the Sisters of Charity. She leaves a grown-up family to mourn their loss — Denis (Railway Department, Rockhampton), Thomas (Railway Department, Brisbane), John (Nambour); Sister M. Lucius (All Hallows Convent, Brisbane), Miss K. Grace (High School, Gympie), Mrs. Sidney Smith (New Guinea). The chief mourners were Denis, Thomas and John (sons), Miss K. Grace, Mrs. S. Smith, Mrs. T. Grace, N. and G. Grace (grandsons), J. Flynn (grand-nephew), J. Neylon (cousin), and Mrs. Mannion, a lifelong friend. Very Rev. Father R. Landener officiated at the grave. — R.I.P.
This story was written by Denise Juler
Sources: Trove; Gympie Family History Society record collection; Ancestry.com; Find My Past;
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