Obituary
- Mr. Matthew Caldwell Cox 11
August 1950 The Murrumbidgee Irrigator (Leeton) |
The death occurred at the Leeton District
Hospital on August 8, of Mr. Matthew Caldwell Cox, of 38 Wandoo
Street, at the age of 62. The late Mr. Cox had been ill for
a little over five weeks. He is survived by his wife, and five
children, Margaret; Kathleen, Lawrence, William and Robert; also by
two brothers and, three sisters, Arthur J. Cox, of Sydney, Tom, at present;
living at Leeton, Mrs. Cotterell, Holbrook, Mrs. Westblade, Wagga and Mrs. Farrar, of Cowra. He was predeceased by his
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Cox, of Wagga, and a brother, Herbert
Cox, of Bexley, Sydney. The late Mr. Cox was born at Wagga and
he was married at Sydney to Miss Kathleen Kearney in1916. His early life was spent at Wagga
and then on a farm, 'Beness' at Brobenah for many years, approximately since 1913. He had lived in Leeton for the
past 15 months, and previously lived here for about three years in
the early 1930's. He was a farmer and grazier by
occupation and his chief recreation was bowls. He was a
member of the Wade Club. The funeral left St. Joseph's Church
yesterday afternoon at 3 p.m., the officiating priest being Rev.Fr. Edgehill. The chief mourners were the
widow, children, and brothers and sisters. Pioneering
Family The late Mr. Cox came from one of
the pioneering families of New South Wales. His father's eldest sister, Mrs.
James Gormley, is said to be the first white
woman who was born on the Murrumbidgee, between Tumut and Gundagai.
Her husband was the parliamentary
representative for Wagga for a period of 30 years. The passing of Mr. Cox recalls the
greatest flood disaster in the history of New South Wales, and perhaps
of Australia, when the town of Gundagai was swept away and many
people lost their lives. Mrs. Gormley's
husband had an extraordinary escape from being drowned in that flood, as
he was swept for twenty miles along the flooded Murrumbidgee river,
riding on logs, and other flood wreckage, before he reached dry
land. The late Mr, Cox's, brother, Mr. Tom
Cox states that it was erroneously reported in the 'Sydney Morning
Herald' that the death roll in the recent floods, totalling 22, was a
record. He states that the Gundagai flood
death roll exceeded that by more than double, and he was told it
reached a total of 60. The late Mr. Cox's grandfather, Mr.
Joe Cox drove his first mob of cattle to Sydney where he sold them for
25/- a head. His neighbour, a Mr. Keane, also
drove a mob of cattle to Sydney at the same time, and they brought £1 a
head. On the way back Mr. Keane stopped near Goulburn for a while, and
subsequently he related that he hung his stock whip at the side of
his saddle. A man came along on horseback, and seeing the stockwhip
realised where Mr. Kean had been, and pointing a gun at his head robbed
him of every penny that he had. On one occasion when Mr. Cox's
father went to Sydney from Livingstone Gully for stores he arrived back
two months overdue on account of flooded rivers. Ti-Tree Creek, where the late Mr. Mat.
Cox was reared was the only place to receive over 1/- per lb. for wool
in the 19th Century. In the year 1899 15¾d was obtained for a parcel of
fleece wool from Ti-Tree Creek. |