References
Bridget Plunkett, a potato famine orphan, came to Australia on the Thomas Arbuthnot in 1849/1850 and her sister, Catherine on another ship in 1849/1850.
Their parents were Oliver and Winnie Plunkett (previously McDermott). The family was believed to have been from County Galway.
Bridget married George Skippen at Rocky River 5 Sep 1859 and they were gemstone miners at Copeton (now under the waters of Copeton Dam), near Inverell, New South Wales, Australia. They had five children.
George and his sons made significant findings in their diamond mines at Copeton.
Bridget, who died 16 April 1908, and George are buried at Copeton but a damn built some years ago has flooded the graveyard, the photo shown was taken in a drought when Copeton graves were accessible again.
Bridget's son George born 1866 was painted when shearing in an iconic picture: The Golden Fleece by Tom Roberts at Newstead Station in 1894, he is shown third from the left in the photo of the painting.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| The Golden Fleece, Tom Roberts, Newstead 1894, G Skippen third left.JPG (84.24 KB) | 84.24 KB |
| Additional Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 1st Jan 1830 (circa) | |
| Mother (First Name/s and Maiden) | Winnie McDermott | |
