While Dad didn't talk about his uncles, aunts and cousins on the Phelan side too often, he did recall - in fact, my recollection is that Mum remembered at least as well as Dad - that his Uncle Bill (William Anthony Phelan) had too sons: Peter and Kevin. Strangely, they forgot to tell me that there was another son, also named William Anthony, but known as Tony. Yes, that's right - another Anthony Phelan, you would think that he would have remembered him! :) In fact since I started this research and coming into contact with more Phelans, I have actually met Tony's daughter Robyn (so, my second cousin) on a few occasions, and she is quite interested in all of this stuff too, so hi to Robyn if you are reading!
But back to the story. The reason I remember Mum and Dad telling me about Dad's cousin Peter Phelan so distinctly was that they told me he had died, quite young, in a car accident. This tragic event happened in 1958, when Peter, who was a printer, was just 27 years old. The Public Records Office Victoria holds the inquest into Peter's death, so I was able to uncover just what unfolded.
On Sunday 10th August Peter Phelan had been playing golf at Gisborne with two friends, Carlyle Ryan and Arthur Sowden. travelling in Ryan's Volkswagen. At the inquest, Ryan admitted to having a few beers after the round. Sowden said he had three beers with a meal, but couldn't say how many Ryan had. They left Gisborne around dusk to return to Melbourne, Ryan driving, Phelan in the front passenger seat, and Sowden in the rear. Sowden promptly dozed off. At around 7pm they reached Niddrie and were travelling along Keilor Road in an easterly direction when Ryan became aware of an obstruction across the road and 'swerved violently to [the] right and accelerated' in an effort to avoid the obstruction, which turned out to be a semi-trailer backing out from the northern side of the road. The nearside of his car (the side on which Peter was seated) struck the rear of the semi, mounted the southern footpath and came to rest against a factory wall further along the road. Ryan suffered head wounds and was knocked out but regained consciousness. Sowden, who had still been dozing at the time of impact, also suffered cuts to his face but was able to leave the vehicle to request assistance from a woman in a nearby shop. Peter had also been knocked out, and was still in an unconscious state when all three were taken by ambulance to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, arriving about 8pm. Dr. Neil Bromberger found that Peter had sustained extensive facial injuries as well as a fracture of the skull on the left fractal regions. He would pass away at about 10.30pm, the doctor stating the cause as 'extensive brain damage resulting from the blow to the head'.
The statements made by other witnesses to the inquest are more revealing. Henry Gorny had pulled his car up as he had seen the semi-trailer, whose lights were on, commencing to reverse out onto the road, he gave a hand signal to indicate he had stopped, and at least two other cars pulled up behind him. The second of those cars was driven by Ian Jensen, who was driving a higher vehicle and admitted that he had to brake a little suddenly. Before he had fully stopped, Ryan's car swung out from behind and came flying past him at a speed of about 40-45 mph and did not appear to slow down before colliding with the rear of the semi. Edward Carroll, the driver of the semi, was exercising caution when backing out as he expected that people would be returning from the country on a Sunday evening. He proceeded with his reversing onto the road as he had seen the first two cars pull up. John Sinnott, who had been travelling in the opposite direction had seen the semi but did not believe it was adequately lighted, he thought it was a bit dangerous which is why he looked back after passing it and witnessed the crash.
Constable Desmond Dever attended the scene of the accident and his view was that the accident was caused by negligence on the part of Carlyle Ryan failing to notice the semi-trailer backing out of the driveway (although interestingly, in the original hand-written statement, this sentence was lightly crossed out). I sense that the sudden braking of the car in front and the fact that it may have blocked vision of the semi might have contributed to what eventuated, but knowing what we know now about the effects of alcohol, it feels overwhelmingly likely that the effect of the beers consumed was directly related to the speed of the car and the delayed reaction time of its driver. Unsurprisingly, the inquest found that Peter Phelan had died from 'the effects of injuries received by misadventure... when the motor vehicle in which he was a passenger... came into collision with another motor vehicle... and then ran into the wall of a building".
Peter's death came less than two years after a serious injury to his brother Kevin Joseph Phelan. On New Years Eve of 1956, while working at his job on the railways, Kevin suffered a fractured spine and lacerations to his scalp and face after being caught between two trains travelling in opposite directions near West Melbourne Stadium (the current Festival Hall).
But back to the story. The reason I remember Mum and Dad telling me about Dad's cousin Peter Phelan so distinctly was that they told me he had died, quite young, in a car accident. This tragic event happened in 1958, when Peter, who was a printer, was just 27 years old. The Public Records Office Victoria holds the inquest into Peter's death, so I was able to uncover just what unfolded.
On Sunday 10th August Peter Phelan had been playing golf at Gisborne with two friends, Carlyle Ryan and Arthur Sowden. travelling in Ryan's Volkswagen. At the inquest, Ryan admitted to having a few beers after the round. Sowden said he had three beers with a meal, but couldn't say how many Ryan had. They left Gisborne around dusk to return to Melbourne, Ryan driving, Phelan in the front passenger seat, and Sowden in the rear. Sowden promptly dozed off. At around 7pm they reached Niddrie and were travelling along Keilor Road in an easterly direction when Ryan became aware of an obstruction across the road and 'swerved violently to [the] right and accelerated' in an effort to avoid the obstruction, which turned out to be a semi-trailer backing out from the northern side of the road. The nearside of his car (the side on which Peter was seated) struck the rear of the semi, mounted the southern footpath and came to rest against a factory wall further along the road. Ryan suffered head wounds and was knocked out but regained consciousness. Sowden, who had still been dozing at the time of impact, also suffered cuts to his face but was able to leave the vehicle to request assistance from a woman in a nearby shop. Peter had also been knocked out, and was still in an unconscious state when all three were taken by ambulance to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, arriving about 8pm. Dr. Neil Bromberger found that Peter had sustained extensive facial injuries as well as a fracture of the skull on the left fractal regions. He would pass away at about 10.30pm, the doctor stating the cause as 'extensive brain damage resulting from the blow to the head'.
The statements made by other witnesses to the inquest are more revealing. Henry Gorny had pulled his car up as he had seen the semi-trailer, whose lights were on, commencing to reverse out onto the road, he gave a hand signal to indicate he had stopped, and at least two other cars pulled up behind him. The second of those cars was driven by Ian Jensen, who was driving a higher vehicle and admitted that he had to brake a little suddenly. Before he had fully stopped, Ryan's car swung out from behind and came flying past him at a speed of about 40-45 mph and did not appear to slow down before colliding with the rear of the semi. Edward Carroll, the driver of the semi, was exercising caution when backing out as he expected that people would be returning from the country on a Sunday evening. He proceeded with his reversing onto the road as he had seen the first two cars pull up. John Sinnott, who had been travelling in the opposite direction had seen the semi but did not believe it was adequately lighted, he thought it was a bit dangerous which is why he looked back after passing it and witnessed the crash.
Constable Desmond Dever attended the scene of the accident and his view was that the accident was caused by negligence on the part of Carlyle Ryan failing to notice the semi-trailer backing out of the driveway (although interestingly, in the original hand-written statement, this sentence was lightly crossed out). I sense that the sudden braking of the car in front and the fact that it may have blocked vision of the semi might have contributed to what eventuated, but knowing what we know now about the effects of alcohol, it feels overwhelmingly likely that the effect of the beers consumed was directly related to the speed of the car and the delayed reaction time of its driver. Unsurprisingly, the inquest found that Peter Phelan had died from 'the effects of injuries received by misadventure... when the motor vehicle in which he was a passenger... came into collision with another motor vehicle... and then ran into the wall of a building".
Peter's death came less than two years after a serious injury to his brother Kevin Joseph Phelan. On New Years Eve of 1956, while working at his job on the railways, Kevin suffered a fractured spine and lacerations to his scalp and face after being caught between two trains travelling in opposite directions near West Melbourne Stadium (the current Festival Hall).
Keilor Rd, Niddrie, the scene of the accident in 1958
Edward Carroll's semi-trailer, which was struck by the car driven by Carlyle Ryan
Ryan's Volkswagen, showing the damage sustained to the front passenger side where Peter Phelan was seated
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