VALE PRIVATE JONES
Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2026 10:45 am
VALE PRIVATE JONES
© Jeff Thorpe July 2025
Mount Morgan has much history contained in its confines
not least as the birth place of spouse’s and my mothers,
as such, any Central Queensland visit
sees us as proxies for long deceased sisters and brothers.
Thus, a recent stop at the Mount introduced Private Jones
who has history of his own in Australian war records,
a “first” although unwanted in grisly competition
where no one ever strives to win awards.
Victor Stanley Jones was paymaster at Mount Morgan’s gold mine
when, at age 27, he enlisted to fight in South Africa’s Boer War.
There, at a place called Sunnyside, he died on New Years Day 1900
shot, the initial Australian military casualty on a foreign floor.
A memorial to Private Jones takes the form of a swinging bridge
across The Dee River in Mount Morgan, by Byrnes Parade and East Street.
This a replica of bygone bridges built to give access to the mine,
now a symbol of respect, plus a draw for curious tourists’ feet.
More than 200 tonnes of gold were extracted from Mount Morgan
Over some one hundred years since 1882,
one wonders how Jones’ bio would have reflected this
had from voluntary army service he’d withdrew.
© Jeff Thorpe July 2025
Mount Morgan has much history contained in its confines
not least as the birth place of spouse’s and my mothers,
as such, any Central Queensland visit
sees us as proxies for long deceased sisters and brothers.
Thus, a recent stop at the Mount introduced Private Jones
who has history of his own in Australian war records,
a “first” although unwanted in grisly competition
where no one ever strives to win awards.
Victor Stanley Jones was paymaster at Mount Morgan’s gold mine
when, at age 27, he enlisted to fight in South Africa’s Boer War.
There, at a place called Sunnyside, he died on New Years Day 1900
shot, the initial Australian military casualty on a foreign floor.
A memorial to Private Jones takes the form of a swinging bridge
across The Dee River in Mount Morgan, by Byrnes Parade and East Street.
This a replica of bygone bridges built to give access to the mine,
now a symbol of respect, plus a draw for curious tourists’ feet.
More than 200 tonnes of gold were extracted from Mount Morgan
Over some one hundred years since 1882,
one wonders how Jones’ bio would have reflected this
had from voluntary army service he’d withdrew.