Rare Malcolm Western Australian Goldfields Brooch

A rare 'Malcolm' Western Australian goldfields brooch, late 19th century, housed in a period plush box with a Ballarat newspaper clipping, 5.5 cm wide, 5.6 grams. Illustrated in 'Gold & Silversmithing in Western Australia' by Dorothy Erickson [U.W.A. Press, Perth, 2010], page 75-76. Malcolm is today an abandoned goldfields town, 852 km northeast of Perth and 20 km east of Leonora. The townsite derives its name from the nearby mountain of the same name which was named by the surveyor John Forrest during his exploration of the area in 1869. The name honours Malcolm Hamersley, a settler who was with Forrest on an expedition in search of the remains of the late Dr Ludwig Leichhardt and party. Gold was discovered in the area around 1895/6, and in November 1896 the Mount Malcolm Provisional Committee requested that the W.A. government survey and declare a townsite. At that time there were already 3 hotels, six stores, 2 bakeries, a butcher and other businesses established. In 1904 Malcolm had 5 hotels and a brewery and a population of 400. The townsite was gazetted in 1897. Gold was discovered at the North Star Gold Mine site sometime before 1895. At its height the town contained 450 people, but by 1906 was on the wane. The town was heavily reliant on the mine, which was taken over by the Malcolm Prospecting Syndicate in 1905, owned by local Malcolm businessmen. This was an effort by the businessmen to protect their investment in shops and hotels in the town, by retaining a paid workforce. When the mine closed in 1916, the town quickly folded. The Webster's Find Gold Mine to the north-west, was also important for a time shortly after 1900, however flooding and bad management sealed its fate. Many old minor gold mines are in this area, with limited access. Some modern prospects are also found to the south-west of Malcolm.