Obituaries Australia

By the sudden death of Mr Francis Henry Keppel on Thursday, at Charters Towers, another old timer is gone. He came to Charters Towers quite a lad about 1874 and was for a time associated with Tom Moody, on the Cape River. Afterwards he was employed at Maryvale by Mr William Hann. Mr Keppel married Miss Hann and settled at 'Niall" on Maryvale Creek. He became a successful pastoralist and dealer in stock and properties. In partnership with Mr Harry Daintree, he bought Glengalder and Barrington, and afterwards sold well to Lyons and Rollenston. He had previously acquired Victoria Downs on the Cape, and lived there for a time—but afterwards made Charters Towers his home. Mr Keppel was married a second time to Miss Woolley, of the Clarke River. Willie Keppel, his second son, was a fine man, who died at the war. His second son, Fred, manages Rokeby in the peninsula. Mrs Jas. Ferguson, now of Lyndhurst, a famous horsewoman at Townsville Show, was a Miss Jessie Keppel, and Miss Bea Keppel has made good as a nurse during the war. Some years ago, Mr Keppel bought the butchery business of Moran and Co on Charters Towers, and also the sheep station Wimmera on Alick's Creek, below Richmond. A few weeks ago he purchased Kolonglo, near Prairie, and had just commenced stocking that. He was once a famous horseman, and always had ready money for a classy horse. Latterly, Mr Keppel invested fairly heavily in Charters Towers hotel properties, and he also had control of the Alexandra Hotel, Townsville. He was a very busy man and bold speculator, and his demise will affect many ventures.