On November 23, 1949 Margaret Campbell disappeared from her husband’s sight through the rotting cap of a Daylesford mine shaft and fell 30 feet onto a shelf of rubbish below.
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The 300 foot shaft in the Campbells’ backyard had been covered over with planks and soil and was full of a noxious gas which rendered Mrs Campbell unconscious.
A newspaper report in The Daylesford Advocate at the time said Mr Campbell had heard a noise and turned in time to see his wife “disappearing through the surface of the earth”.
David Gray’s uncle, Daylesford Urban Fire Brigade Captain Percy (Peter) Gray, was one of five men to descend the shaft.
Four were overwhelmed by the gas and were brought to the surface to be revived.
The fifth – who, as the story goes, plugged his nose with clay – was able to reach Mrs Campbell where she lay, put her into a “bosun’s chair” made of a wool sack, and haul her to the surface.
About 10 minutes after she was pulled clear, the walls of the shaft collapsed.
Mr Gray, who served 45 years in the CFA, began researching the rescue 10 years ago.
”In my side of the family there were 17 cousins and we had a reunion about 10 years ago and each of the 17 cousins had a different version I thought ‘right, I’m into this’.
“It’s important to me and that’s why I wanted to get to the bottom of it the best we could. We will never know the whole story.”
Daylesford CFA was presented with a replica of the Horrockses Trophy by Victorian Governor Linda Dessau on Thursday recognising Captain Gray’s role in the rescue.
The Horrockses Shield, which is kept at Fiskville, bears the name of each brigade considered to have been “instrumental in saving a life”.
A replica of the shield is now being presented to each brigade inscribed on the original.
Captain Gray was awarded the Australian Royal Humane Society Bronze Medal and Country Fire Authority Bravery Medal on March 6, 1951.
Thursday’s presentations comes 66 years and three days after the first CFA award was presented to him at Queen Elizabeth Park Oval in Bendigo. A clipping from the time refers to Captain Gray as “one of the outstanding athletes in the Victorian country fire service.”
Ms Dessau said she “wasn’t sure why there had been this travesty (in time lapsed between the two awards)” but was “very, very proud to be part of righting it”.
Jessica Black
Ballarat journalist.
Ballarat journalist.
