Lamont Young

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This article is about nineteenth century geological surveyor who disappeared in New South Wales. For the Neapolitan architect, see Lamont Young (Naples).

Lamont H. Young (1851-1880) was an assistant geological surveyor for the New South Wales Mines Department.[1] He mysteriously disappeared while on field-work at Bermagui, New South Wales.

Young was inspecting the new goldfields at Bermagui in 1880. In order to investigate possible sites further north, Young and his assistant travelled on a small boat with the boat's owner, Thomas Towers of Batemans Bay, and two of Towers's friends. All five disappeared on 10 October.[2] In the morning the boat was observed, but stationary and with apparently only one man on board. Later in the day the vessel was seen stranded on the rocks with no-one was on board. The boat was found to contain five bags full of clothing, Young's books and papers, a bullet in its starboard side and some vomit. The men were not found despite subsequent searches, rewards, government inquiries and wide media coverage. The remnants of a fire, some food and three shirt studs were the only traces. The mystery was never solved.[3] Unusual aspects of the wreck were that the planks of the boat were stove-out rather than stove-in, the boat contained several large rocks and the anchor and stern ropes were missing. The boat also contained, as well as Young's personal effects, a small blue glass bottle containing a fluid suspected of being poison.[4]

Apart from Thomas Towers and Lamont Young, the other men who disappeared were Young's assistant Max Schneider and the other two boatmen, Frank Lloyd and Bartholomew Casey.[5]

[edit] Memorial

Mystery Bay received its name because of the disappearance.[6] The bay is 15 kilometres north of Bermagui, midway between Bermagui and Narooma, near Tilba. There is a park and a road at Mystery Bay named after Lamont Young. A monument was erected at Mystery Bay in 1980 to mark the centenary of the disappearance.[3]

[edit] The disappearance in literature

The plot of Arthur Upfield's detective novel, The Mystery of Swordfish Reef, is based on Young's disappearance.[3]

The Australian author, Cyril Pearl also wrote of the mystery in his 1978 book, Five Men Vanished: The Bermagui Mystery.[7]

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

A 1910 article, Bermagui - In a Strange Sunset, published by Henry Lawson in The Bulletin describes a steamer journey from Bermagui to Sydney. Lawson mentions the disappearance of Young 30 years before.

In 1987 the Endeavour Theatre Company of Bega performed Montreal: The Bermagui Mystery an original play by Jamie Forbes based on the disappearance of Lamont Young and company.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Young, Lamont H.. Bright Sparcs Biographical Entries. University of Melbourne (1994). Retrieved on 2006-05-18.
  2. ^ Several sources give 10 October including the New South Wales Geographical Names Board, however, the Eurobodalla Shire Council's Cultural Mapgives 10 April.
  3. ^ a b c Bermagui. Travel. Fairfax Digital (2004). Retrieved on 2006-05-17.
  4. ^ The mystery of Mystery Bay. Cultural Map: Stories from our past .... Eurobodalla Shire Council (2002). Retrieved on 2006-05-18.
  5. ^ Mystery Bay Primitive Camping Ground & Foreshore Draft Plan of Management (pdf). Eurobodalla Shire Council (2006-04-11). Retrieved on 2006-05-19. (page 26)
  6. ^ Mystery Bay. Geographical Names Register Extract. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved on 2006-05-18.
  7. ^ Wilson, Pip (2006). Ocober 10. Wilson's Almanac free daily ezine: Book of Days. Wilson's Almanac. Retrieved on 2006-05-19.