Alan Dale Telfer (1890–1937)

Born: 27 Oct 1890 (Tantanoola, SA) | Died: 13 Sep 1937 (Wilga Tank, Girilambone, NSW) | Mother: Martha Clara Henstridge (1854–1921) | Father: John Telfer (1840–1913) | Occupation: Coalminer / Ganger (railway labor) | Buried: Unknown (Girilambone district)

Family

| Relation | Name |
|---|---|
| Self | Alan Dale Telfer |
| Father | John Telfer (1840–1913) |
| Mother | Martha Clara Henstridge |
| Siblings | James Telfer (1866–1946), Elizabeth Telfer (Clarke), Susan Telfer (Agnew), Martha Telfer (Cameron), Mark Telfer (1877–1946), Maria Clara Telfer, Isabella Lucieton Telfer (Thomson), John Roland Telfer, Clara Blanche Telfer (Lane), Robert Freddy Telfer, Douglas Telfer, Colin Roy Telfer, Alma Tressy Telfer (Cullen), Marian Telfer Cornish (1896–1977) |

Life Summary

Alan Dale Telfer was born on 27 October 1890 in Tantanoola, South Australia, the 13th child of John Telfer (1840–1913) and his second wife Martha Clara Henstridge.

He never married. During the Great Depression of the 1920s-1930s, Alan migrated far from the agricultural safety of South Australia's Limestone Coast to the interior of New South Wales. He found work as a ganger (railway labor foreman) and coalminer — a gruelling and highly itinerant profession that took him deep into the state's central-west.

Death — Resolved (NSW Government Gazette)

Alan's fate was a long-standing mystery in the Telfer family tree. The resolution came via an NSW Government Gazette intestate estate notice, which confirmed:

> Alan Dale Telfer, late of Wilga Tank, Girilambone, in the State of New South Wales, died intestate on 13 September 1937.

Girilambone and the associated Wilga Tank area was a remote railway siding and copper mining outpost in central-western New South Wales. His death there, without a will, paints a picture of a rugged, transient, and likely impoverished life in his final years — a stark contrast to the settled farming life of his Tantanoola siblings.

His exact burial location is unknown but likely in the Girilambone district.

Timeline

| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 27 Oct 1890 | Born at Tantanoola, South Australia |
| 5 Jan 1913 | Father John Telfer died at Tantanoola |
| ~1920s–1930s | Migrated to New South Wales for railway and mining work |
| 13 Nov 1921 | Mother Martha Clara Henstridge died at Adelaide |
| 13 Sep 1937 | Died intestate at Wilga Tank, Girilambone, NSW |

Notes

• Mystery resolved (2026): Alan's death was listed as "Unknown" in the vault until the NSW Government Gazette intestate notice was found via Gemini Deep Research. The approved report (Skippy ✅ 29 May 2026) confirmed the 13 Sep 1937 date and Girilambone location.


• Occupation: Listed as "ganger" — a railway labor foreman responsible for a gang of track workers. This fits the Girilambone location, which was a railway siding on the Nyngan–Cobar line.


• Never married: Unlike most of his siblings, Alan never married and had no known children.


• 1964 date artifact: Like his brothers Colin Roy and John Roland, some digital indexes incorrectly attributed the 4 Aug 1964 death date of his half-sister Martha Cameron to Alan. This has been disproven.

Sources

Links

• John Telfer (1840–1913)


• Marian Telfer Cornish (1896–1977)


• Mark Telfer (1877–1946)