Fred Dowdle
Fred Dowdle and Ethel Mary Weston, 1901.
Frederick Worthington “Fred” Dowdle was born on 20 January 1872 in Victoria, the son of John and Rachel Dowdle. He married Ethel Mary Weston at Coonabarabran in 1901 and they raised a family of at least seven children. The Dowdles later lived at Eurungie, between Collarenebri and Angledool.
Fred Dowdle came to Lightning Ridge in the early years. In July 1907 his tender of £488 was accepted for the excavation of a government tank near the fields, the tank to be used as an essential water supply for miners. By November he was within weeks of finishing the work but was forced to abandon it due to the severe drought. A heavy rainstorm soon filled the half-complete excavation, giving the Ridge its first reliable source of water. It was later used as a puddling tank.
Fred Dowdle died on 19 February 1930 at the age of 58. His widow, Ethel, lived until 1957 and was buried at Collarenebri.
Article: Research by Leisa Carney, edited by Russell Gawthorpe. LRHS research compiled by Len Cram and Barbara Moritz. Sources: The Lightning Ridge Book, Stuart Lloyd, 1967, p. 189; Walgett Spectator, 12 January 1922.