Obituaries Australia

An old Gawler resident, Mr. David Collier, died last week at the advanced age of 74. Mr. Collier was one of the party that accompanied Mr. John McKinlay on his exploring expedition to the Northern Territory in 1865, and the diary he kept at the time is most interesting reading. The expedition was commissioned by the Government to examine the Territory and to find a site for a settlement. The party started from Port Adelaide in the barque Ellen Lewis on September 25, and reached Adam Bay six weeks later. A start was made inland with 15 men, 45 horses, and rations sufficient far ten weeks, when they expected to strike the Liverpool River, but as a matter of fact they were nearly six months on the journey. Nearly all of the horses were killed for food, and the party had to undergo many hardships before getting back in safety. Mr. Collier was the licensee of the Mill Inn at the time of his death.