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Title
Distressing case
Description

The Geelong Advertiser wrote of ‘a very distressing case.’ A young pregnant woman and her infant were left desolate. Her husband had left for the goldfields some six months earlier to seek his fortune.

Date
18 December 1852
Published Source
Australian National Dictionary Centre, The Gold Rushes and Australian English: a resource for researchers, teachers and students, Australian National University, 2005, http://www.anu.edu.au/andc/res/aus_words/gold/index.php. Details
Rights
This material is provided by the Australian National Dictionary Centre, a joint project of the Australian National University and Oxford University Press Australia.

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Transcript

DISTRESSING CASE.— Yesterday morning, a young woman of the name of Eliza Vyvin with an infant in her arms, appeared before the Bench of Magistrates to obtain assistance under the following circumstances:— From her statement, it appeared that, about six months ago, her husband left her for the gold mines, and since that time she had heard nothing about him. That, on account of her infant child, and her advanced state of pregnancy, she was totally unable to do any work for her support; and her friends, who has acted as such until the last shilling was expended, now turned their backs upon her. This case formed a proper and legitimate claim upon the utility of Benevolent Asylum, but the Magistrates determined on affording prompt relief, and promised her 20s a week out of the poor box for a few weeks to come, and relieved her immediate necessities with the present of a sovereign. Geelong Advertiser, 18 December 1852

Created: 16 October 2006, Last modified: 13 February 2007