"Cemeteries are fascinating places. You never know who you're going to find – in a manner of speaking. Fremantle Cemetery, Western Australia is no different. It is the final resting place of many; some of whom achieved notoriety and/or fame in their lifetime. A stroll through the picturesque grounds of Fremantle Cemetery will reveal names of many prominent Australians. A heritage trail reveals much about Western Australia's history. Fremantle cemetery was established in 1899. Some of the state's earliest gravestones are here with the names of pioneers who first settled the Swan River colony. There are many prominent and notorious Australians laid to rest here. One of these is C Y O'Connor.
Charles Yelverton O'Connor was born on 11 January, 1843 in Gravelmount, Castletown, County Meath, Ireland. C Y O'Connor was an engineer. When he was 21 he emigrated to New Zealand and in 1866 was appointed assistant engineer for Canterbury Province. Eventually he worked his way up to Inspecting Engineer for the mid-south Island then to Under-Secretary for Public Works and in 1890 was appointed Marine Engineer for the colony.
However he is better known for his work on the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme. This pipeline carries water 330 miles from Perth to Kalgoorlie. The finding of gold near Southern Cross and at Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie resulted in a population explosion in the goldfields area. It was decided to erect a pipeline which would pump 5 million gallons of water daily to the goldfields from the Mundaring Weir in Perth. Eight stages of 30 inch diameter pipe would be laid to the Mount Charlotte Reservoir in Kalgoorlie. Pumping stations would be installed and the water then piped to the various centres.
There was prolonged criticism of the plan by all and sundry. O'Connor was libelled by the press and accused of corruption. On 10 March 1902, he rode his horse into the sea at Robbs Jetty and shot himself. He was only 59.
C Y O'Connor's work and vision would be well and truly vindicated with the opening of the pipeline. The pipeline itself is regarded as one of the world's greatest engineering feats and is the longest freshwater pipeline on earth. It is still in operation and around 100,000 people (and some six million sheep say the statistics) depend on it for most if not all of their water supplies."
C.Y. O'Connor's suicide note
"10/3/02
The position has become impossible.
Anxious important work to do and three commissions of inquiry to attend to.
We may not have done as well as possible in the past but we will necessarily be too hampered to do well in the imminent future.
I fear that my brain is suffering and I am in great fear of what effect all this worry will have upon me -- I have lost control of my thoughts.
The Coolgardie scheme is all right and I could finish it if I got a chance and protection from misrepresentation but there's no hope for that now and it's better that it should be given to some entirely new man to do who will be untrammeled by prior responsibility."
C Y O'Connor, one of the more tragic figures of Western Australian history
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