Obituaries Australia

Neal Durack, n.d.

from Pastoral Review, 15 January 1921

As announced in our last issue, Mr. Neal Durack, a younger member of the well-known Western Australian family of that name, was drowned at the end of November in the Ord River, Nor'-west Australia. He was only 30 years old, and as fine a specimen of young manhood as one could wish to see. It appears that with two friends he was on his way into Wyndham to see his wife off to Fremantle by the Kwinana. On reaching the Ivanhoe Crossing, they found the river heavily flooded, but Mr. Durack essayed to swim the flood. When part of the way across he suddenly sank, and was seen no more.

He was a son of the late Mr. J. J. Durack—who was speared by blacks many years ago in the nor'-west—and held a lieutenancy in the 10th Light Horse, in which he served during the war. He was a fine horseman, bushman, athlete, and swimmer, and did excellent scout and intelligence work in Egypt and Palestine, where he was wounded. At the time of his death Neal Durack was managing Auvergne Station for Connor, Doherty and Durack Ltd.

A fearless and heroic soldier, his manly character and lovable disposition endeared him to all who knew him. As the Minister for the North-west (Mr. H. P. Colebatch) said regarding him: "It is tragic to think that one so singularly well equipped for carrying on the development work of the East Kimberleys, in which his family has played the leading part for nearly 40 years, and in which his father gave his life, should be cut off in this manner. When a young man who has passed through the perils of the Palestine campaign is thus overtaken in the course of his day's work we realise the difficulties and dangers still associated with station life in the far north."

The late Mr. Durack married Miss Sellenger, daughter of Inspector Sellenger, of the Western Australian Police Force, in 1918, and leaves an infant son.