Little Angels - Doris Foley

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 is the story about a mother and daughter starting a new life in the heart of the Otway Ranges.

Sarah Foley was employed at the Ditchley Park Hotel in Beech Forest, where she also lived with her 4 year old daughter, Doris. They had moved from NSW after Sarah had left her husband.

On Monday 13th March 1916, Doris was playing outside with a skipping rope. At around 2.00pm Doris went and found her mother in the dining room of the hotel, she wanted to show her a lolly that she had. She then went back outside to keep playing. An hour later, Sarah went looking for Doris, but was unable to find her. A search party was sent out, thinking that she had just wandered off into the bush. Early the next morning, Doris’ body was found down behind the Hotel near a creek with wounds to her face and neck, and her skipping rope tied around her leg.

Three days later, she was buried in the Colac Cemetery.

After a week of inquires the police arrested George Leeke after he finally confessed to the murder. George was a man in his early 70’s, and was also employed at the Ditchely Park Hotel as a handy man. This shocked the district, as he was always looked upon as a kind old man.

He was tried in Geelong, and sentenced to life imprisonment at the Geelong Gaol.