Marion Dorothy JOHNS
Born 24 October 1928 in Moora, Western Australia [P361]
Daughter of "Bill" William Henry JOHNS and "Dorrie" Dorothy Alice Grace CANDY[P361]
Resided with her parents on CROMMELIN's Morningdale Farm in Coorow 1928-1932 and then in the Coorow townsite [P361]
In the Coorow townsite initially lived with her parents in a tent near the town oval and then in a house on Main Street [P361]
Student at the Coorow State School [5: 12-Jul-1935]
After a football match in Coorow she got lost in scrub resulting in a widespread search into the evening to try and find her [P361]
Eventually Mrs "Granny" Mary LATHAM found her asleep on the railway line a few hours before a train was due [P361]
Attended the Children's Fancy Dress Ball held in Coorow on Saturday 6 July 1935 dressed as "Arabian Night's" [5: 12-Jul-1935]
Came 2nd in the 6 years Girls Running Race at the Combined School Sports in Carnamah on Saturday 19 October 1935 [5: 25-Oct-1935]
She was one of the most successful exhibitors in the Educational section of the Coorow-Waddy Agricultural Show in 1936 [5]
Received two 1st prizes for Needlework and 2nd prizes for Writing, Pencil Drawing and Crayon Drawing [5: 11-Sep-1936]
Hit by a truck and instantly killed on Albany Road in the Perth suburb of Victoria Park while on holiday with her parents [P361]
Died 17 January 1937; buried Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth WA (Anglican, LE, 752)[2]
Her mother planted jonquils at her grave and her sister Shirley later dug some up to plant with their parents ashes in Coorow [P361]
From The North Midland Times newspaper, Friday 22 January 1937:
Death of Little Girl - Perth Accident. The death occurred at Victoria Park Perth, at 2.30 p.m. on Sunday, January 17, when Marion Johns (8), daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. Johns, of Coorow, was run over and killed by a motor truck driven by Stephen Richard Bowen, of Marr street, Carlisle. The little girl was struck by the vehicle when she ran across the street in front of the house where she was staying with her parents, who had arrived Coorow on Saturday to spend a holiday with relatives living in Albany road. The rear wheel of the truck passed over the girl who sustained dreadful head injuries. The scene of the fatality was a short distance east of the Causeway. The driver of the truck told the police that he first saw the girl on the edge of the footpath, party obscured by a telegraph pole. She appeared to be playing and he took no particular notice of her until he saw her running across the street. In an effort to avoid her he swerved violently to the right. He felt no impact and was not sure whether she was struck by the front of the truck or stumbled and fell in front of it. The deepest sympathy is felt for the parents in their sad bereavement."
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'Marion Dorothy Johns' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 19 December 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/marion-dorothy-johns [reference list] |
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