Trooper John Christopher Fitzgerald
RSL (Port Pirie Sub Branch) Inc.John Christopher Fitzgerald was born in Wallaroo, South Australia on the 7th of October 1864 and moved to Port Pirie when he was only 11 years of age. His family brought two cows with them and Fitzgerald became the first milk vendor in Port Pirie. He attended a private school until the Pirie School opened, after which he attended there.
When the Barrier mines near Broken Hill were first discovered, he was one of the prospecting party, and with his partner, Duncan McCulloch, located a lode known afterwards as the Britannia and Scotia silver mine. They mined and carted the first load of silver ore which passed over the Port Pirie wharf, staking their claim as the pioneers of the Barrier ore traffic.
On January 16th 1901, John enlisted in the Boer War, where he served with the Fifth South Australian Bushmen's Contingent, Service Number 275, being promoted to Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant and Warrant Officer while on active service.
“At a mile distant their thousand hooves were stuttering thunder, coming at a rate that frightened a man – they were an awe inspiring sight, galloping through the red haze – knee to knee and horse to horse – the dying sun glinting on bayonet points…” Trooper Ion Idriess
After serving one year and 110 days with his discharge marked “Excellent”, John was given a £15 gratuity on demobilisation, and received the Queens Medal for service in Orange Free State and Cape Colony.
Discharging on May 5th 1902, he returned from the war to an enthusiastic reception at Pirie South Railway Station on 26th April 1902 with comrades Lieutenant Miell, Sergeant Noblet, Corporal Stuckey and Troopers Gribble, Patterson, Lush and Pedlar. He received tumultuous applause when rising to respond to the welcome, referring most sympathetically to the death of Trooper Marshall as Graspan and conveyed the condolence of his comrades to the bereaved parents.
John was living in Wirrabara when the Great War broke out and he was an ardent conscriptionist, undoubtedly because of the remembrance of his comrades in South Africa. Coming to Port Pirie he realised that his attitude was in direct conflict with that of his old comrades and soon became anti-conscriptionist.
He worked on the wharves at Port Pirie, where he served as president of the Waterside Workers' Federation. John served 4 years as alderman, 2 years as councillor and was a 5 times Mayor of Port Pirie. He also represented Port Pirie in the House of Assembly for 18 years.
John was 73 years of age when he passed away on the 22nd December 1936. He is interred in the Port Pirie Cemetery.
- National Archive of Australia https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1047…
