Don Roulston Buzzard

7.0
Millicent Dymock Commits Suicide

On 19th March 1932, Sydney Harbour bridge was opened to the public. It soon became a focal point for people who intended to commit suicide as it had no barriers for those intent on ending their lives.

Millicent Dymock on 7thSeptember 1933, was the 30th person to end their life in this manner. Later in the same day, another woman also chose the same route to her death.

One Account of the many of Millicent’s Death

The coroner, Mr Farrington, was quite critical of the government body responsible for the bridge as he said they should put up wire mesh to prevent people from being able to access the outside rail of the bridge. Previous coroners, dealing with suicides from the Harbour Bridge, had also stated that wire mesh should be installed but their pleas fell on deaf ears.

Millicent was found with £500 in her possession at the morgue. This was a huge sum of money in 1932 (equivalent to nearly $30,000 in today’s value) and why would she have been carrying that amount, if she was intent on suicide, raises many unanswered questions.

Coroner’s Register [48]

Transcript:

William David Lindsay Dymock was called on to identify the body and he was stated as an uncle of Millicent. In fact, he was the grandfather of Millicent’s deceased husband. He did acknowledge that he had received the £500 Millicent had in her possession at the time of her death.

William David Lindsay Dymock gave evidence at the Inquest

After their mother died, Don and her brothers were split up and stayed with relatives. Who the boys stayed with is unknown. Don stayed with her aunt Kate Collett (nee Smith), Kate’s husband Dick and children Henry Roulston and Joyce Eileen in a home at 143 Wycombe Road, Neutral Bay, Sydney.

143 Wycombe Road, Neutral Bay, Sydney

Joyce Eileen was 20 years of age at the time 12-year-old Don moved into the household. Don said, later in her life, that the daughter was sent to a prestigious girls school and she was sent, for two years, to a local government school, Homebush Intermediate High School.

After high school, Don went to the Model Business College for 10 months and subsequently secured fulltime employment.

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[48] Ancestry