Below also see: Oscar George Gunning, 1911,
Oscar George Gunning, 1913
The Yass Courier and General Advertiser, Tue 20 Jul 1909 1
LOCAL & GENERAL
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YASS POLICE COURT.
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A SERIOUS CHARGE.
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Before Mr CF Butler, PM, yesterday morning, Oscar George Gunning, [some text missing from original here], on remand, was charged with indecently assaulting Eileen May [or Irene May] Newington [aka Irene May Ewington ], aged 7 years and 5 months, in Victoria Park, Yass, on the morning of July 9th. The PM said he was not empowered to hold the Court with closed doors, but anyone with decent feelings would retire. This had the effect of clearing the galleries of all present.
For the prosecution, Constable McRae gave evidence that he went to the Post Office, Yass, with Mrs Newington and her daughter. There he saw defendant, who denied he was in the park with a billy-can, but stated he saw a boy with a can chasing little girls. He said he never interfered with the little girl, but on bringing him to his father he admitted the offence. Later in the morning he again saw accused and brought him to the police station and charged him with the offence, which he admitted committing.
To Mr O’Brien: In some things accused is cunning, but he is simple in others. He evidently did not comprehend the seriousness of the charges. By the look of him he does not appear to be fully developed, that is, he is not what he should be.
The little girl, Irene May Newington, made a statement. She is a bright and intelligent youngster and gave her account clearly, standing on a chair in the witness-box. She said she knew where she would go to if she told a lie. The boy asked her name and she told him. He said, “I am going to kill you,” and knocked her down, put one hand over her mouth so she could not scream and interfered with her in a manner which she described. Afterwards she told her little sister to go home and tell her mother. The accused was the boy who did it, and he also kicked her.
Louisa Mary Newington, mother of the girl, gave evidence that two of her children were sent over to the park to collect brambles for a fire. She was attracted by screams and on going outside he saw one of her daughters returning home. She told her what had happened and on going over to the park and saw Irene coming home along the street. Irene was sobbing and crying. She told her what had taken place and they went straight through the park together to see if they could find the boy. She saw accused near the Corner Store. Then she went to the police station and reported the matter, and went to the Post Office with Constable McRae. Accused was standing at the gate and Irene recognised him as the boy who assaulted her.
Dr PT Thane gave particulars of his examination of the girl.
Mr O’Brien submitted there was no corroborative evidence.
The PM, said the plaintiff’s statement to her mother immediately afterwards was corroborative evidence.
A portion of the evidence is omitted, it being unfit for publication.
Accused was then cautioned, and elected to reserve his defence. He was committed for trial at the Quarter Sessions to be held at Yass on September 16th. Bail was allowed, self in £40 and one surety of £40.
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The Yass Courier and General Advertiser, Fri 17 Sep 1909 2
LOCAL & GENERAL
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YASS QUARTER SESSIONS.
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PLEAS OF GUILTY.
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The Yass Quarter Sessions opened yesterday morning, His Honor, Judge Rogers, presiding. Mr JH Mason was Crown Prosecutor.
Oscar [or Oscar George] Gunning pleaded guilty to assaulting a little girl in Victoria Park. The Judge remanded the accused until he had read the depositions taken at the Police Court. His Honor then consented to Gunning being bound over to be of good behaviour for 12 months.
Oscar George Gunning, 1911
The Sydney Morning Herald, Tue 10 Jan 1911 3
TWO BOYS INJURED.
Katoomba, Monday.
Oscar Gunning and Harry Holland, two boys employed at the [Blue] “Mountain Echo” office, went to the railway station to assist a carter with goods required. The boys rode on the top of a bale of paper weighting 4 cwt. When the van arrived in front of the “Echo” office the horse backed quickly into the gutter. Both boys were thrown out of the van on to the footpath, and the bale of paper fell on Holland’s stomach and over on to Gunning. Dr Allan was quickly in attendance, and both boys were carried home. Holland vomiting very much. The boy Gunning was seriously hurt. He is the son of Mr GA Gunning, 4 postmaster, and has only recently started work. Holland’s mother has been lying at the point of death for some days. General sympathy is expressed for both boys and their families.
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The Blue Mountain Echo, Fri 13 Jan 1911 5
LOCAL AND GENERAL.
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OUR BOYS.
On Monday last, two lads employed in the mechanical department of The Echo were thrown from a delivery van, and badly shaken. A youthful driver backed the van, containing a bale of paper, into the gutter in front of the office. The bale slipped backwards and crashed through the tailboard on to the footpath, both the boys sustaining nasty falls, in addition to which they were badly squeezed by the final roll of the paper. The lads, Oscar Gunning and Henry Holland, turned up smiling on the following morning, and read with no little interest the ghastly accounts of their accident in the metropolitan dailies.
Oscar George Gunning, 1913
The Daily Telegraph, Thu 4 Dec 1913 6
QUARTER SESSIONS.
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(Before Judge Docker and juries.)
Mr Herbert Harris prosecuted for the Crown.
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DURING THE GOVERNOR’S PLEASURE.
Oscar Gunning, a youth, was charged with having committed a serious offence at Katoomba on November 8. Mr T Rose, who appeared for accused, said the defence was one of not guilty on the grounds of insanity.
The jury acquitted on the grounds of insanity, and his Honor ordered the youth to be detained in custody during the Governor’s pleasure.
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The Sydney Morning Herald, Thu 4 Dec 1913 7
QUARTER SESSIONS.
(Before Judge Docker and juries.)
Mr Herbert Harris Crown Prosecutor.
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CONSIDERED INSANE.
Oscar Gunning, a youth was charged with having committed a serious offence at Katoomba, on November 8.
Mr T Rose appeared for the defence.
The jury returned a verdict of not guilty, adding a rider that it considered that Gunning was insane. He was ordered to be detained in strict custody.
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Oscar Gunning, Gaol photo sheet 8
![SRNSW: NRS2138, [3/6084], Darlinghurst Gaol photographic description book, 1913-1914, No. 13359, p. 115, R5117.](../../images/trials/1909-Gunning-6084-gaol-photo-13359.jpg "SRNSW: NRS2138, [3/6084], Darlinghurst Gaol photographic description book, 1913-1914, No. 13359, p. 115, R5117.") |
Gaol Photo Sheet - Transcribed Details
No. 13359
Date when Portrait was taken: 3-12-1913
Name: Oscar Gunning
(aka Oscar George Gunning)
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Native place: Cowra NSW Year of birth: 17-12-1887 Arrived Ship: Trade or occupation Religion: C of E Education, degree of: R and W Height: 5' 5⅝" Weight On committal: 119 Colour of hair: Light brown curly Colour of eyes: Blue |
Marks or special features: Wears two false teeth top jaw scar on outside left forearm, both little fingers crooked |
|
(No. of previous Portrait ... ) CONVICTIONS |
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| Where and When | Offence. | Sentence | |||
|
Yass Q.S Sydney Q.S |
16 3 |
9 12 |
1909 1913 |
Indecent assault on a girl under Indecent assault on a male person |
6 months HL suspended under Governors Pleasure |
1 The Yass Courier and General Advertiser, Tue 20 Jul 1909, p. 2. Emphasis added.
2 The Yass Courier and General Advertiser, Fri 17 Sep 1909, p. 2.
3 The Sydney Morning Herald, Tue 10 Jan 1911, p. 8.
4 Barrier Miner, Thu 24 Sep 1925, p. 3.
“SKETCH OF HIS CAREER.
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After 49 years and 10 months in the service of the Postal Department, Mr GA Gunning, postmaster will on Saturday week leave on three weeks’ annual leave prior to his retirement. Mr Gunning has had a varied career in the service, and apart from the many official duties he has carried out in the towns he has been in, he has taken an active part in civic affairs. As is usual with most of the old hands in the postal service Mr Gunning first joint as a messenger at Brewarrina, that was in 1876, and his salary was 2/6 a week against the present salary of 30/- for beginners. This salary of 2/6 remained in force for 12 months. Five years were spent in this office as a messenger and assistant, and then came a promotion, Mr Gunning going to Morandorell as telegraph master. This position meant a drop of £25 in his salary, but he took the post in order to become his own boss as it were. A fortnight was, however, the length of the stay, and he then effected an exchange with the postmaster at Marsden. A stay of 12 months was the result and then he again became telegraph master at Mount McDonald, a new goldfield that had sprung up on the Abercombie ranges. Later he became postmaster at this place and had a stay of 10 years. Apart from the position as postmaster Mr Gunning was also the mining registrar, warden’s clerk and registrar of births, deaths and marriages. In 1892 he went to Narromine as postmaster, and this meant a stay of 16 years. At this place he took an active part in the civic affairs of the place. He was three times mayor of the town, and served 10 years as an alderman. The town hall at this place is a building Mr Gunning looks back on with pride, as it was he, as mayor, who was responsible for getting the money from Sydney for its construction. From Narromine he went to George-street, North Sydney, but his stay there was only short, and he next went to Yass as postmaster. While in this place it was once his duty to meet the Federal Minister who came to make arrangements for the site of the Federal capital. In his possession now he has documents which came from the Minister and the department appreciating his efforts. An offer of a position as relieving inspector took his from Yass to Sydney, but the appointment only lasted three weeks. At the expiration of this time he went to Katoomba, and after 12 months’ service he was appointed to Cooma as the postmaster and divisional returning officer. However, he never took up this appointment in a permanent way, for his first wife died and he joint the reliving staff as postmaster. He was on this work for seven years and relieved at 28 towns, Cooma being among the number. The position was then abolished and once more he got a permanent appointment at Cootamundra. After four months’‘ service at this place he went to Grafton for 12 months. Broken Hill then became vacant and he applied for and got the job. That was in 1919, and Mr Gunning has been here ever since. While in the service he conducted three Federal elections as divisional returning officer, the electorates being Gwydir and Nepean twice.
No successor to Mr Gunning has yet been announced, and until such time as one arrives Mr RE Lewis will act in the capacity of postmaster.” Emphasis added.
5 The Blue Mountain Echo, Fri 13 Jan 1911, pp. 6, 7.
6 The Daily Telegraph, Thu 4 Dec 1913, p. 7.
7 The Sydney Morning Herald, Thu 4 Dec 1913, p. 5.
8 SRNSW: NRS2138, [3/6084], Darlinghurst Gaol photographic description book, 1913-1914, No. 13359, p. 115, R5117.