Lesley Thomas Telfer

Role: Third child of George Wright Telfer & Ruth Penna — died in the "Knungagen Tragedy" (1914)

Born: 24 September 1891 — Gawler East, South Australia ⚠️ (single-source birth — see Notes)
Died: 11 March 1914 — Knungagen (near Nungarin), Western Australia, aged ~22 (accident)
Father: George Wright Telfer (1850–1913)
Mother: Ruth Penna (1863–1908)

Family

Life Summary

Lesley Thomas Telfer was the third child of George Wright Telfer and Ruth Penna, born at Gawler East, South Australia in September 1891. He was a younger sibling of Frank (William Francis) and elder brother of Olive Netta. After his mother Ruth died in 1908 and the family moved west, he joined his father's farming operation in Western Australia.

Lesley was killed in an accident on 11 March 1914 while working his father's farm at Knungagen in the Nungarin district — in the same year his father George had died. He was in his early twenties. A coroner's inquest (the "Knungagen Tragedy") was held at Merredin on 18 March 1914.

Timeline

Sources

• Source (death, 2-group): Merredin Mercury, 25 Mar 1914 — "The Knungagen Tragedy" (coroner's inquest) — via Trove — accessed 4 Sep 2026. Confirms death morning of 11th; G. W. Telfer & Co. farm at Knungagen; deceased ~15 months on the farm.
• Source: A Telfer Family Tree (Supplement to From the Borders to the Bush), pp. 160 & 164 — birth 24 Sep 1891 Gawler East (single-source); death 11 Mar 1914 Talgomine/Nungarin WA accident.

Family Stories

🖊️ Anecdote — the "Knungagen Tragedy" (as told in A Telfer Family Tree, pp.163–164 + Merredin Mercury inquest): Lesley, third child of George Wright and Ruth, was single and working his father's farm at Knungagen in the Nungarin district when he died on the morning of 11 March 1914 aged about 22. A farm labourer told the inquest Lesley had been on the farm about 15 months, had ridden to Merredin on the 9th and returned about midnight on the 10th before his sudden death. He died in the same year his father George had passed, years before his sister Olive Netta and brother Frank carried the family on. (Anecdote — not used to establish any date or relationship beyond the verified death.)