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67543f Alexander Whillas 2026-08-02 13:11:24
Ingest Whillas–McLeod history spreadsheet (1860s–1970s) Ingest the 12 decade CSV sheets from source/ into the wiki: - 12 decade timeline pages (1860s–1970s) - 39 people pages (full Whillas & McLeod/Gunn lines) - 19 place pages, 9 event pages - 3 document pages + index (incl. Catherine Gunn death cert scan) - family tree (Mermaid + outline), index, log; updated home Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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# Hopetoun Truck Accident (1970)
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The accident that ended [Dick Whillas's](/people/richard-charles-whillas-b1920) working life and precipitated the family's move to Western Australia.
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## Summary
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- **Date:** 9 January 1970
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- **Place:** Hopetoun, Victoria
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- **Vehicle:** semitrailer (single-vehicle smash)
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- **Involved:** [Dick Whillas](/people/richard-charles-whillas-b1920) (severely injured) and his son [Norman Vincent Whillas](/people/norman-vincent-whillas-b1952) (slightly injured)
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## Aftermath
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After the accident Dick could no longer do heavy work or drive trucks, and was bankrupted. The [Invergordon](/places/invergordon-victoria) Post Office was sold and the family (from Norman down) moved to 27 Malcolm Street, [East Fremantle](/places/east-fremantle-western-australia), Perth, beginning a new chapter for the family in WA.
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195402 Alexander Whillas 2026-09-30 21:46:21
Updates after Teena interview
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## Family recollection
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Dick's daughter [Teena](/people/christine-frances-whillas-b1947) recalled that “that's when they went to Fremantle,” connecting the accident with the family's move west. See [Teena's interview](/documents/interview-teena-mclean-2026).
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67543f Alexander Whillas 2026-08-02 13:11:24
Ingest Whillas–McLeod history spreadsheet (1860s–1970s) Ingest the 12 decade CSV sheets from source/ into the wiki: - 12 decade timeline pages (1860s–1970s) - 39 people pages (full Whillas & McLeod/Gunn lines) - 19 place pages, 9 event pages - 3 document pages + index (incl. Catherine Gunn death cert scan) - family tree (Mermaid + outline), index, log; updated home Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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## Related pages
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- Timeline: [1970s](/timeline/1970s)
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## Sources
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- Whillas–McLeod family history spreadsheet (Rev 4), *1970s* sheet.
195402 Alexander Whillas 2026-09-30 21:46:21
Updates after Teena interview
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- [Interview with Teena McLean, interviewed by Erika Whillas, 16 Aug 2026](/documents/interview-teena-mclean-2026).