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Please can anyone help with finding a newspaper report on an accident that killed John Lewis Cotter age 37 on 8th March 1977 in Junee, New South Wales, Australia. I found the death notice that included names of his family but that only says "as result of a tragic accident" Thank you. Pam
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I looked at the image again which is a bit blurry and think the date he was killed was 6th March rather than the 8th Thanks Pam
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you could try here
Ask a Librarian | State Library of NSW
www.sl.nsw.gov.au › research-and-collections › ask-lib...
Need help with your research or finding the right resource? Have a question that you can't find the answer to? Ask a Librarian!
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OBITUARY.
JOHN LEWIS COTTER.
_ , ATHERTON, September 17.
The funeral of John Lewis Cotter,
who was killed in a lorry accident on
Saturday afternoon, when carting tim-
ber, took place on Sunday last. Rev.
Father P. A. Doyle ' conducted the last
sad rites at the graveside. Deceased
had lived on the Tableland for about 10
years. .All his relatives are.in Eng-
land, and recent letters from his mother
expressed her pleasure in the know-
ledge that he was endeavouring to
enter the RAAF.
https://tinyurl.com/yb4amyuz
A long report on the inquest is here:
https://tinyurl.com/y8n6vajv
ATHERTON INQUEST.
DEATH OF J. L. COTTER.
ATHERTON. October. 3.
An inquest -was held at the Coroner's Court on Tuesday, before Mr. C. M. Goy, Coroner, into the circumstances of the death of John Lewis Cotter, who died at Cairns-road, Atherton, on Sep-
tember 13, 1941, as the result of an accident.
Patrick Lister Cahill gave evidence that he was 25 years of age and married. He knew the deceased. Cotter, who was employed by witness's father, Patrick Bede Cahill. Deceased was employed on general timber work. On September 13, at about 12.30 p.m., deceased assisted in loading a white oak log on to a timber truck and trailer, from the ramp at Upper Barron, 18 miles from Atherton. The log measured 20 feet long, with a 13-foot girth. The weight of the log was between 6 and 7 tons. He intended to take the log to the Atherton railway yard. With deceased, he left the Upper Barron about 12.30 p.m. On the way Into Atherton no trouble was experienced until he came to Cemetery Hill. The engine overheated and stalled. Helped by deceased, he took the sides off the bonnet to allow the engine to cool.
They stayed. there roughly an hour.
Deceased primed the engine, and they continued towards Atherton. On the hill near Armstrong's garage the engine stopped again, and deceased got out to prime the engine. He lifted the bonnet straight up, and to do so stood on the front bumper bar. Witness remained in the cabin while the engine was being primed. After the engine was primed witness started the engine with the self-starter. After the engine started deceased got down from the bumper bar and stepped to the near side of the roadway. He beckoned to witness to continue. ' Witness asked deceased, "What about the bonnet?"
Deceased replied, "Go to the.top." He understood deceased to mean by that to go to the top of the bill. The top would be twenty or thirty yards away. He expected deceased to step back into the cabin, but did not become alarmed, as he thought Cotter might be walking to the top of the hill. The truck would be travelling at 2 miles an hour at the most. Witness continued: "When deceased did not enter the cabin I looked back. I would then have travelled about ten yards. As I glanced back I saw a reddish spot on the road on the left edge of the road, near the bitumen. I looked back a second time, and could not see deceased, and then I realised something must be wrong. I immediately switched the engine off and got out of the truck, and could not hear the voice of deceased. I then realised something must have happened to him." I ran straight up to a house on the side of the road at the brow of the hill. A woman came out. 'I think I said, 'I think I have run over my. mate.' I asked her to ring the Ambulance and the police. She said she had no phone on. I saw a truck approaching from Atherton, and hailed the driver to stop. A man named Norman Sherwood was on the truck, and I said to him, 'I think something has happened to Jack: will you go and have a look?' The three men from the truck went to the rear bf my truck. I remained at the top of the hill. I was suffering from shock.
When the men came back Sherwood said, *He is dead.' One of the men left to telephone the police."
Witness then gave evidence as to the arrival of the police and the Coroner, and said that he did not view the body on the road, as he was so severely shaken and shocked. He was on very friendly terms with deceased. He thought the deceased may have endeavoured to jump on the tray behind the cabin, and in doing so slipped. He did not feel any bump or anything to indicate that he had run over anything.
The trailer was registered at 30 cwt
William Edward Lawrence, farmer, Yungaburra, now attached to the 15th Garrison battalion, said that on September 13 he was on 24 hours' leave, and was travelling home by motor truck accompanied by G. D. Bullock and Norman Sherwood.
Over the hill from Armstrong's garage he saw a truck at the side of the road with a large log on it. A man hailed the truck, and when he came to the side of the truck witness recognised him as Paddy Cahill. He said: "I think I have run over my mate." He appeared in a very excited condition and was suffering from shock. He said: "Will someone go and have a look."
Witness said he was the first to go down, and saw a man on the road. He was lying on the left-hand side of the road coming into Atherton, just on the edge of the bitumen, and was about 12 yards from the stationary truck.
Witness then detailed the severe injuries. Witness formed the opinion that the deceased had endeavoured to jump on the lorry between the cabin and the log, and had missed.
Henry Fletcher Gallagher gave evidence, and said that deceased was lying about 30 feet behind the stationary truck. He was unable to give any opinion as to how deceased met his death other than that he stumbled in trying to replace a pannikin and oil-can into the tray, with the result that the rear wheels of the truck and the wheels of the trailer passed over his body. He knew Cahill to be a man of temperate habits. He was unable to trace any relatives of deceased in this country. The inquest was closed.
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Thank you ,but sadly this is not the John Lewis Cotter as my one died in March 1977 in Junee. New South Wales. I will contact the library as suggested, The Parents of my John were Lawrence and Annie Cotter Thank you Pam.
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Oh yes, - sorry, I didn't read your post fully!
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