Register News-Pictorial (Adelaide, SA : 1929 - 1931), Friday 11 July 1930, page 6


Out among the Peop

CLEM Hill said to me yesterday, 'If we win the toss wo will win the Test match. If we don't, we mightn't.' I showed the famous left-hander a photograph

of the 1886 Australian XL sent to mo by ''Old Oxford,' of Brighton, who wrote, 'It is probably unique in Australia as I purchased it in England.' The old group is reproduced in our pictorial pages. Clem Hill said, 'That is the year that George Giffen was top in both the batting and bowling averages. What a remarkably good likeness it is of Affie Jarvis. I think the only ones alive now are Billy Trumble, Sam Jones, Tom Garrett, and Affie Jarvis.' No Death; Only Transition rpHE message, published in The Register, which the New Zealand medium claims to have received from the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, created a great deal of interest among friends of mine. The concluding portion of the message, 'There is so death, only transition from one state to another,'' had a familiar ring and reminded me of a quotation from Longfellow, which I learned when a boy in charge of The Register Library. There is no death, what seems bo is transition. This life of mortal breath, Is but a suburb of the life Elysian, Whose portal we call death. Conan Doyle must have had this in mind when the medium got in touch with him- and so expeditiously recorded his feelings. Indians And Cowboys .. . TLfR. W.JY Blee has, just received, an illustrated programme of the annual exhibition and stampede which is being held the whole of this week at Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Last year there was a record attendance of 258,000.. and this year 275,000 is expected. The - spectacular opening feature is the stampede parade, with its miles of Indiana, cowboys, cowgirls, oldtimers, mounted policemen, stage coaches, and chuck wagons all moving to the music of 20 bands. The Blackfoot, Stoney, -and Scarcce Indians in gorgeously colourful costumes Rive a marvellous display. The wild cow milking contest is ; full of thrills and comedy. Jhere are buckjumping and steer decorathiK contests, and .a- wonderful live stock show. Col. James Walker, a member of the original North-West Mounted Police force— the force that brought law and order to the great North-West — pioneer nnd rancher, and the first president of the Calgary Exhibition in 1880. is still an active director. He is the only living officer who made the ,march across the prairies with1 the North-West Mounted Police Force 'in 1874. ' Ernest Giles, Explorer WILLlAM Gordon Gill, of Melbourne, but at present staying with his sisters in

Adelaide, called on me yesterday. He is the nephew of Ernest Giles, the great explorer, to whom the Governor yesterday unveiled a memorial at Beltana to commemorate the expedition to Western Australia and back in 1875-6. Mr. Gill has a book of family records which shows that Ernest Giles was a son of William Giles, of Gloucestershire, and his mother's maiden name was Jane Elizabeth Powell, of Monmouthshire. The boy was born at 14 Charlotte street, Bristol, at 7.30 p.m. on July 20, 1835, and he was christened William Ernest Powell Giles. There is an entry, 'A delightful child.' There is another entry, 'Measles, 1853, Melbourne.' Along- side is written, ' 'Taint me but my sister, H. S. Giles.— W. E. P. Giles.' Mr. Gill has an old memo, written by his mother, a sister of Ernest Giles, who married George Duff Giles, in which she says: — 'In 1851, Ernest Giles came out to us. We were then living in Jeffeott street, N.A.' Mr. Gill said, 'I was out with Ernest Giles in 1894-5 on a prospecting expedition in Western Australia, and the camels went without water for 14 days. My father, found the money to pur-chase the horses which were used on Ernest Giles's first expedition in 1872. I would have liked to be present at the unveiling of the memorial, but did not hear about it until too late.' W. H. Tietkens And Alex Ross THE memorial was carried out as the result of the efforts of Messrs. C. W. Reid and H. R. Adamson, of the Beltana Pastoral Company. The only survivors of the ex-pedition are Alex Ross and W. H. Tietkens.

The former left Ade-laide with Mr. Adam-son on Monday morn-ing to attend the cere-mony. Mr. Tietkens, writing to me from Sydney in October, 1928, said:— 'I wish to thank you sincerely for your kind letter of September 28, and the accompanying copy of The Register containing a picture of photo- graphs of Giles and party, and the proposed inscription that is to

be put up by the Beltana Pastoral Company at the starting point of our expedition, made possible through the munificence of the late Sir Thomas Elder. Yes, I remember you coming to our house at Millswood, and at other times I have met you at the office of our mutual and highly esteemed friend, the late Mr T. Gill. ''I 'cherish the recollections of many old-time friends in Adelaide. I regret to say that at times the fact is forced upon me that my travelling days, even by train or boat are over, and that we shall not meet again. Yes Alex Ross and myself are

the only ones left of that '75 expedition. After many years of pioneerihg work in Central Australia, he lives in Adelaide, after a life that has not been adequately recognised, poor old chap. As for myself, I've just kicked over the 84th mile post of my life's journey. My little girlie is the breadwinner, and is engaged at the Municipal Library in Sydney." Recently Alex Ross paid a visit to Sydney, and had a delightful re-union with his old friend. Hats off to these grand old men; who bore the heat and burden of the day !

W. H. Tietkens

W. H. Tietkens