Henry Samuel Britcher

  Research Notes:

Brian & Pam Andrew note:
The Western Champion (Blackall/Barcaldine, Qld. : 1879 - 1891)

Imperial Hotel,
ADAVALE.
HENRY S. BRITCHER begs to inform his old friends and the public in general that he has erected the above large and substantial Hotel, and solicits their patronage, hoping by strict attention to their wants to obtain a fair share
of their favors.
THE~HOUSE,
Built of piacit, is well ventilated, and has been erected with special regard to the requirements of the climate.
THE BAR
Is supplied with the best brands of Wines and Spirits.
THE BEDROOMS
Will be found clean and comfortable, being under the supervision of Mrs. Britcher.

ADAVALE, the new Government township on Blackwater Creek, is at the junction of the following roads :-Charleville to Loney Point and Jindah, on the Barcoo and Thompson Rivers, Charleville to Kyabra and Thargomindah, Blaclcali and Tambo to Beechal and Eulo.

Extract copied from website Mundia (Ancestry):-
Story: A Pioneer Of Adavale
1887
Adavale, Queensland, Australia

The rich pastoral country in western Queensland along Kyabra Creek and the upper reaches of the Cooper were taken up and settled by pioneers such as John Costello and his brother-in-law Patsy Durack. They took Kyabra and Thylungra respectively in 1868. They were soon followed by Tully, Hammond, Sheehan, Scanlon, Fitz-Walter, Hacket, Doyle and others coming from New South Wales with their herds of cattle. To sell their cattle the settlers had to drove them either to Melbourne in Victoria or to Adelaide in South Australia. The stock routes were the natural ones along the waterways. The first lot of cattle from Tenham were taken to Melbourne and sold there by Charlie Fitz-Walter. In 1887 Harry Britcher took a mob of fat cattle from Gooya to Adelaide and there topped the sales. For this feat of droving, the owners of Gooya presented him with a handsome gold watch, suitably inscribed. This was May 1887. In July of the same year at Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, Harry married the girl of his choice, Miss Elizabeth Jarvis and returned to Queensland where later their eldest son George was born. Moving along the Blackwater Creek, Harry Britcher and his wife opened the first hotel at Adavale, and it was here on the 22nd October 1880 that Henry Samuel Britcher Jnr was born, the first white child to take that honour. By now it was felt that the tiny settlement which was beginning to gather round the hotel deserved a name. And so the name Adavale was chosen. Stations such as Lily Hole, Milo, Gumbardo, Thylungra, Bulgroo, Ray, Pinkilla, Nickavilla, Springfield and Hammond Downs began putting on sheep improvements. Woolsheds, huts, fencing and water conservation were under way, the result being that the many workers engaged in those places began to converge on Adavale. The Skinners from Charleville opened a store, Fitz-Walters came in from Stoney Point on the Cooper and opened another one. The Imperial Hotel was joined by the Green Gate, built by Edward Woodhatch, the Great Western kept by Mrs Taylor, and the Blackwater by a Mr Sheppard. Thus there were four hotels operating in Adavale at the one time and all doing a flourishing trade.

Bathurst Free Press and Mining Journal - 2 March 1904
Railway Fatality
Sydney, Wednesday.
A drover named Britcher was run over by the Western Mail train at Katoomba this morning. The body was shockingly mangled and death was instantaneous.

Sydney Morning Herald - 3 March 1904
RAILWAY FATALITY.
KATOOMBA. Wednesday.
At the Katoomba railway yard this morning a drover named H. Britcher was killed. A stock train was convoying sheep to Homebush from Bourke, Britcher and another drover being in charge of the sheep. While the stock train was backed up the yard to allow the mail train to go on, Britcher got on the main line and was run down by the Mail.

The Western Champion and General Advertiser for the Central Western Districts (Barcaldine, Qld.) - 4 March 1904.
New South Wales.
DROVER CUT TO PIECES.
SYDNEY, Thursday.
A DROVER named H. Britcher was cut to pieccs at the Katoomba railway yard early this morning. He was in charge of sheep waiting for the mail train, and got out of the van to inspect the sheep, although warned not to go on the main line. He did so, and the mail train came along and killed him. He came from Queensland.

The Northern Miner (Charters towers) - 3 March 1904
DEATH OF A DROVER.
(By Telegraph )
CHARLEVILLE, March 3.
The sad news reached here to-day, of the death of Wm.(sic) Britcher, drover, who unfortunately was killed last night at Katoomba by the mail train, while in charge of Sydney Kidman's Carradotta cattle, proceeding from Bourke to Sydney.
He leaves a widow and nine children, mostly grown up in Charleviile.
He was well known all over the western district. His father was killed some years ago, and his brother was klled by blacks nineteen years ago at Winton.
He was a native of Adelaide, and at one time owned the heading hotel in Charleville.
NOTE BY BWA:- This report seems to be inaccurate. It was Henry not William, and he was born in Sydney not Adelaide.
The Charleville Times - 19 March 1904

Evening News (Sydnet) - 2 Mar 1904
A DROVER KILLED AT KATOOMBA.
KATOOMBA, Wednesday.- A fatal accident occurred in the Katoomba Railway Yard early this morning, when a drover named H. Britcher lost his life. A heavily-laden stock train, conveying sheep to Homebush, arrived from Bourke about 2.45 a.m. Britcher and another drover being in charge of the sheep. As the mail train was due fifteen minutes later, the stock train was backed up the yard to allow the mail to go on first. While the stock train was waiting Britcher got out of the van to inspect the sheep, the guard at the same time warning him not to go on the main line side. Britcher, who was about 50 years of age, was not again seen alive. After the mail train had passed, and preparations were being made to resume the journey, the guard ascertained that Britcher had not returned. He and the other drover then made search, and discovered the mangled remains of the man on the main line. Little can be gathered as to where deceased's friends live, it being understood that he hails from Queensland.

THE LATE MR. BRITCHER.
A. letter has been received from Mr. Sidney Kidman, in which he states that he has advised his Sydney agents to settle accounts immediately relative to poor Britcber, and also to hand over to Mrs.Britcher £100, which is out of his own pocket and apart from the contract for the droving of the cattle, and further, he is approaching the Bank of New South Wales with the view to obtaining another £50 from them, as Mr. Britcher was under contract from them when the cattle started on the roads. Such generosity at the hands of an employer we consider well worth publication.

North Queensland Register (Townsville, Qld.) - 21 March 1904
Our Charleville Letter.
"North Queensland Register" Co~ respondent.)
CHARLEVILL.E, March 1.
The untimely end of Drover Britcher at Katoomba on Tuesday night, is very painful, when all facts are revealed. Britcher was a man of fine physique, standing over 6ft. and built proportionately. It is said he was heir to a baronetcy. The deceased left here about twelve mpnths ago, going out to Longreach, Winton, and eventually on the Georgina. In 1875 Mr. Britcher, it is said, took the first mob of 360 fat
cattle from Gooyea to Adelaide. In those days it was considered a remarkable feat, the cattle realised an average of £16/7/6 per head,being so pleased with such great prices that they presented him with a gold watch, which he probably wore up to his tragical end. After returning with his plant from Gooyea, he started for Adavale, where he built the Imperial Hotel, which he sold for £3,000 to Mr Durack, then of Thylungra. He was also proprietor of the leading hotel in Charleville, after which he took up a selection, on the Warrego River, which turned out a failure.

The Charleville Times - 12 March 1904
A CORRECTION.
In referring to the death of the late Mr. Britcher last week, we mentioned that he built and sold the Imperial Hotel to the late Mr. Durack. The paragraph should have read:-"He sold the Imperial Hotel to Conn Bros., who afterwards sold to Mr. Duraek, late of Thylungra. The error was pointed out to us by Mr. A. H. Pegler, and we herewith make the amendment.

Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld) - 21 march 1904
A GENEROUS GIFT.
The Charleville correspondent of the Adelaide "Register" telegraphs:-"Mr.S. Kidman, of Kapunda, has telegraphed his econdolence to the widow of the late Mr. William (sic) Britcher, who was killed ten
days ago while in charge of Mr. Kidman's Carrandotta cattle. The telegram was accompanied by a gift of £100, which is much appreciated by Mrs. Britcher."

  Noted events in his life were:

• Occupation: Hotel Proprietor, Stockman. ²⁶²

• connection. ²⁶²

Henry married Elizabeth Selina Jarvis, daughter of George Jarvis and Charlotte Rebecca Baker, on 25 Jul 1877 in Houlighans Creek, Wagga Wagga, NSW Australia.²⁶² (Elizabeth Selina Jarvis was born on 25 Dec 1850 in Gundaroo, near Gunning, NSW Australia, died on 8 Jan 1935 in Charleville, Queensland Australia ²⁶² and was buried on 9 Jan 1935 in Charleville, Queensland Australia ⁶²¹.)