Obituaries Australia

Mrs. David [Jane] McNeill, who died at West Wallsend, was 93 years of age. For half a century she had been a resident of the town. A native of Scotland, where she was married, Mrs. McNeill accompanied her husband to the Colonies in the early days. Their first outward journey was made in the sailing ship Invercargill, which went direct to New Zealand. Mr. McNeill had followed the occupation of coalmining, and did not remain long in New Zealand. He transferred to·New South Wales and came to the Hunter River. The family settled at Newcastle. The mining industry was developing rapidly, and Mr. McNeill secured employment at Minmi, then owned and worked by J. and A. Brown. He also worked in the Glebe and Wallsend mines, and the family lived successively in those suburbs until 50 years ago, when Mr. McNeill made his home at West Wallsend, after·having tried his fortunes on the shale field at Joadja Creek. His wife and family had been pleased with Newcastle, and they induced Mr McNeill to return to coal.  

Ferndale colliery, at Tighe's Hill, was in operation at that time, and Mr. McNeill secured employment there. He was engaged at the mine when the tidal waters of Throsby Creek flooded the mine, resulting in loss of life and the closing of the mine. Mrs. McNeill had this and other mining disasters vividly impressed on her mind, and invariably spoke with much feeling of the hardships and suffering shared in common by the pioneers of this great industry in the northern district. Skilled in nursing, she was an asset to the small mining community, among which she had reared a large family. One of the sons, Mr. David McNeill jun., succeeded the late Mr. W. E. Brennan as Secretary to the Northern branch of the Miners' Federation, and was one of the first members of the Coal and Shale Employees' Council.

Mrs. McNeill possessed a good memory, and could recall with wonderful accuracy for one of her age the wrecks and mining disasters that had happened in and about Newcastle since she first stepped from the vessel's deck to the rough wharf near the site of that now owned by the Newcastle and Hunter River. S.S. Co. Sailing vessels of various sizes filled the harbour, and coalmining was carried on at a number of places near the town itself.

The funeral of Mrs. McNeill, at West Wallsend, was one of the largest seen in that part of the district, mourners and sympathisers attending from Sydney, Lithgow, Maitland, Cessnock, Singleton and Newcastle. The pall-bearers were near relatives. Mr. McNeill died 20 years ago. Of the family of 12, five are living. There are 32 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren, and five great-great-grandchildren.

Mrs. McNeill took a keen interest in the affairs of the Miners' Federation, with which her husband and several of the members of her family had been closely identified. She was able to read and converse on current affairs until shortly before her death. She believed herself to be the oldest subscriber to the "Newcastle Morning Herald," which she had read daily since her arrival from Scotland.