Mysterious headstone reveals tragic tale of outback hardship

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Mysterious headstone reveals tragic tale of outback hardship
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A grave belonging to an eight-year-old girl discovered near Australia's smallest town sparks a quest to uncover the past that takes some heart-rending twists.

In the middle of the bush in far western Queensland, a lone grave looks starkly out of place in the red dirt and dead grass.

Elizabeth Downes , puts Vera's grave marker back together with the help of Robert Eckle and Gabrielle Wheeler from the Historic House.It was March 1914, and the world was four months away from being plunged into war. They took it to the Fox Trap Roadhouse in Cooladdi, the only inhabited dwelling in town, where it was displayed in a glass cabinet and later given to family members for safekeeping.

"I wanted to have that connection with my grandmother's family because of the shame they felt," Ms Downes said.By delving into the records and meticulously searching birth, marriage and death certificates, Ms Downes said she learned more about her family's past."Jack and Ellen's constant fear of the children being removed had them in fear of their Aboriginality," Ms Downes said.

Ms Downes said the local gossip was the marriage ended and that she had taken their two youngest children with her.

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