One of the many hardworking people who built this community of Wattle Flat was John Mini. After arriving here from Switzerland at the age of 19 in 1864, he spent 59 years in Wattle Flat before spending his last years in Sydney. He died in Petersham in 1925, but due to his love of Wattle Flat elected to be buried here in our village.
Images of Poschiavo, Switzerland the place that John Mini left to make Wattle Flat his life-long home.
Overview
Most likely from a farming background in the small Swiss town of Poschiavo, John would have learnt how to mine for gold in Wattle Flat. Starting at Pipers Flat in 1865 he subsequently mined at Swede’s Hill, & Surface Hill before focusing mainly on the Big Oakey Mine area, where he met with great success. He & several mates (John Brockwell, John Eldridge & James Wardell) purchased the Big Oakey Mine in 1893 from a company under financial liquidation, and sold it again to another company in 1898. During these 4 years the Big Oakey Mine produced about 2,300 oz of gold). Then, at the age of 53 John Mini reduced his mining labour. As a respected elder of this community, he chaired meetings & facilitated events such as the opening of the new Wattle Flat Courthouse/Post Office building. During his 60’s & 70’s he worked his small 10 acre farm on the grassy flats 2.5kms north of Wattle Flat village.
The Mini family in Wattle Flat
He was assisted in his earlier years in Wattle Flat by a man from the same small town in Switzerland, who had arrived a couple of years earlier. His name was Giovanni Carlo Vassella, but was locally known as Charles. They learnt mining together, bought land together & supported each other until 1890, when Charles disappears(?) leaving his wife & children alone. Both John & Charles seem to have married 2 sisters (Isabella & Ellen respectively) daughters of James Mitchell (an early Scottish miner in Wattle Flat). John & Isabella had 3 sons & 1 daughter born in Wattle Flat. One son died young, but the other 2 became miners in Wattle Flat. Both of these sons (James & Archille) aged 25 & 17 later left Wattle Flat for South Africa in 1901 in search of mining work. They both returned to Australia with James enrolling with the Armed forces in 1916 ahead of WWI. The daughter Alma, married Cyril Smith in Wattle Flat in 1916 & then lived in Sydney.
Mini & associates in Big Oakey Creek
John Mini & his associates would have become very tuned into the auriferous geology of the Big Oakey mining area, working both their own gold leases & as tribute miners in company owned mines, during the 1880’s & 90’s. The company that owned the Big Oakey Mine carried out extensive prospecting & invested in machinery including a powerful steam engine & stamp mill on the East side of Big Oakey Creek, but failed to produce much gold. In 1892 Mini & party, believing in the potential productivity of this mine, purchased it (with machines etc) for £800. If the new powerful machine at this mine had been bought others and removed from the district a severe blow would have been struck to the mining interests of Wattle Flat, due to a significant reduction in the capacity to crush quartz from this & other reef mines.
In 1894 Mini extends his operations by taking up a lease over adjoining ground to the south (OK mine area). The total area now under Mini’s 2 leases is about 17 acres. During this year Mini installs a steam engine & winding gear inside the mine to facilitate production from a large shallow dipping reef structure. In 1895 Mini’s investment pays off with the discovery of more rich auriferous shoots within the shallow dipping reef. Over the following years an English company consider purchasing the Big Oakey mine from Mini & associates. After years of deliberating the English company finally takes ownership in 1898. John Mini is appointed Mine manager and Mr W.E. Myring is General Superintendent. The new company is called Big Oakey Consolidated Gold Mines which holds a cluster of 8 leases with a total area of 52 acres.
As part of the 1898 celebrations associated with the opening of the new Wattle Flat Courthouse & Post Office, Sydney based politicians Mr W.F. Hurley MP & Mr J. E. Toole are shown through the Big Oakey mine workings by John Mini & Mr W. E. Myring. They seem quite impressed. Developments at this mine the following year (1899) include the installation of a concrete dam in the bed of Big Oakey Creek, which remains intact today.
In his later years
In 1907 John Mini is unanimously voted to chair a protest meeting of miners against the Government’s intention of resuming a large portion of the Goldfields Reserve. One of the key speakers at this protest meeting was Mr F.Foster (Member of the House of Representatives for New England), who was born & reared in Wattle Flat.
Prior to leaving Wattle Flat for Sydney in 1923, John & Isabella Mini sold their farm to Charles A.Eldridge. They would have been able spent some time during their final years with their daughter Alma. Sadly during this same short period Archille Mini aged 40, and living at the oil shale mining town of Newnes was very depressed & took his own life.
The Big Oakey Mine today
The Big Oakey Mine once held & worked by John Mini still lies reasonably intact on Crown Land to the north of Wattle Flat. This mine was worked from a tunnel and shallow dipping underlay shaft. An 8 HP steam winch that was used to haul the quartz up to the tunnel level inside the mine still exists intact, although somewhat rusted.
The Mini family graves in Wattle Flat, (old Wesleyan cemetery).
The 8HP steam engine that John Mini installed & used deep in the Big Oakey Mine during the 1890’s.