Little Angels - Mountjoy Cousins

This is part of a series of geocaches that have been placed to remember the young lives that were lost to tragic circumstances and lost in history.  Keeping their memories alive.

This story is about 2 cousins that were so full of life, the best of friends with laughter that seemed to fill the hallways of the old homestead at Yan Yan Gurt.

Ada and Annie Mountjoy aged 15 and 13, had been holidaying in Geelong and on their return to Ada’s home it was arranged that Annie stay the night too.  It was a cold night Tuesday 26th August 1891.

After dinner the girls decided to go to bed early, and because it was a freezing winters night they decided to take some charcoal to their room to burn so they could keep the bedroom warm.  As there was no fireplace, they used an old tin can and placed it in the middle of the room.  After a while, they decided to put out the fire by tipping water over it, which would’ve made it smoke even more.  They then  cuddled up together in the same bed, and after a brief period, they were both sound asleep.

The next morning Ada’s sister Mabel went in to wake up the girls for breakfast.  As she opened the door, she called out to them, but they didn't answer, and she thought they were just pretending to be asleep.  So she went up closer to the bed and touched her sister on the arm, only to find her cold...ice cold.  She then looked over at her cousin, and then realised that they had both died in their sleep.

Dr Reid from Birregurra was immediately sent for, but on his arrival found that the girls had been deceased for some hours.

The girls had died from inhaling noxious fumes from the charcoal vapour, a mixture of carbonic acid and carbonic oxide generated by the fire, and being of a heavy vapour it had no means of escape.

Two days later, they were both buried in the Highton Cemetery in Geelong. 

From GZ, looking south east, you can partially see the homestead, which is still lived in today.

Cache: You are looking for a 1 litre sistema container