What Alice Did Next Local History


Robert Mackey was one of the early residents of Kalgoorlie, a mining community located some 600 km inland of Perth which following the discovery of gold a few years earlier had rapidly developed into a major township. Here his soft drinks had gone down well with the thirsty gold miners and their families, and he was running a thriving business. In May 1897 he took leave from his business, appointed his foreman as acting manager, bade farewell to his local friends, and sailed on the RMS Oratava to England. Sailing times between England and Australia were then about six to eight weeks. This would have been essentially a business trip to buy equipment but no doubt he combined it with a visit to Tavistock where he met his daughter. The following year, in May 1898, Alice, then aged 22, left Tavistock and sailed from Plymouth to Albany, West Australia finally arriving at Kalgoorlie in early July 1898. She resided with and kept house for her father at 20 Victoria Street, Kalgoorlie. The name of the house was ‘Tavistock’.


Since writing the earlier article I have come across more information about the Mackeys, and found a group photograph of the Mackey & Co. employees


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By Roderick Martin


IN June 2008 I wrote about ‘A Father and His Daughter Re-United in West Australia’. This was a story about a local mineral water manufacturer, Robert Mackey, who left Tavistock in about 1880 to find work in Australia leaving his wife and young daughter behind in Tavistock. Shortly afterwards his wife, Louisa Mackey, died. Their daughter, Alice Edith Mackey, was brought up by her uncle and aunt who lived at 5 Parkwood Road, Tavistock. From the headstone on Louisa Mackey’s grave in the Plymouth Road cemetery I first learnt that Robert Mackey had died in 1909 at Kalgoorlie, West Australia.


which appeared in the Kalgoorlie Western Argus of April 1904.


Unfortunately none of them are named but I think it likely that the well-


“..lifting... essental part of his


training”


dressed older man sitting in the centre of the group is Robert Mackey, and the younger dapper gent, to the left of him, is Robert Hogg, the traveller for the company. Also in the front row on the left is the recognisable face of a young Frank Thorn destined to become the


featherweight, lightweight and welterweight champion of Australia. No doubt lifting the heavy crates of bottles onto the delivery carts was an essential part of his training.


A helpful Australian bottle collector told me that Robert Mackey’s will is in the State Record Office of Western Australia. The Record Office very kindly sent me a copy of it together with other documents. These show that Robert Mackey, who died at Kalgoorlie in March 1909, left few possessions and no property, his principal asset was 1583 shares valued at £2374 10s in his mineral water and cordial business, R. Mackey & Co. Alice


“..died... left few


possessions”


became the sole beneficiary once the courts had sorted out the minor irregularity of the will being undated. In late 1909 Alice left for England but returned to Kalgoorlie in March 1910. I believe that during this visit she came to Tavistock and arranged for the headstone commemorating the lives of her parents to be placed on her mother’s grave in the Plymouth Road cemetery.


In November 1911 Alice Mackey married Robert


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