Hagan Family – Rubyvale – Central Queensland Highlands

In 1906, gold miner Charles Hagan travelled from Clermont to Rubyvale on a spring cart with his wife, Margaret (née Howells), and their two sons, Willis and Henry (better known as Darky). The boys walked much of the distance, droving the family’s herd of goats.

→

Charles was one of the first people to open up the deeper sapphire-bearing ground, while Margaret worked as the local midwife. Willis and Darky attended Rubyvale Provisional School when it opened in 1908.

→

Following in their father’s footsteps, both boys became sapphire miners after leaving school. Charles passed away in 1918 at the age of 63, but Margaret lived well into her 90s.

→

In 1922, Willis married Ivy Ford, who worked at the Royal Hotel. Their son, William Charles (Bill), was born in 1924, followed by daughter Kathleen Margaret seven years later. In the 1930s, the children attended Rubyvale Provisional School with around 70 other pupils and three teachers. Bill left school at 14 to mine with his father but when sapphire prices fell, they turned to timber cutting and ’roo shooting to supplement their income.

↓

Willis (seated) and Darky

Willis and Darky in those early days

Charles Hagan’s funeral sheet

Bill served three years in the Royal Australian Air Force during the Second World War before returning to sapphire mining. He also helped his parents at the Old Royal Hotel when they leased it in the early 1950s.

→

Willis and Bill began mining with Barry Gartrell around 1960. During this time, Bill and Barry also started test drilling in the area and soon formed a partnership as gem merchants, buying and selling sapphires.

→

In 1964, Bill married Shirley Greenhough, who was working as a governess on a local property. They built a new home on Keilambete Road, where they raised their two children, Suzi and Peter. Bill resumed his sapphire-buying business and later expanded into heat treatment of stones.

→

Bill passed away in March 2015 after living a rich and full life.

↓

Bill and Shirley outside their Keilambete Road Residence

Location

Open in Apple Maps

Open in Google Maps

Open in What 3 Words

what3words

Download the what3words app to help you follow the Trail.
Here are the ///what3words identifiers for this location and for the three closest stops:

You are here: ///tiff.generated.stall

Where to next?

Welcome to Rubyvale – ///autopilot.assumes.meadow

Darkie Garnet – Rubyvale – ///cabling.incursion.compendium

Bradford Family – Rubyvale – ///trillions.done.perceptions