Ove Davidsen Biltoft 15 January 1927 to 22 October 1952
My story is on Ove Davidsen Biltoft, although not a direct relative, 2nd cousins 3 times removed. I found myself very drawn to finding out what happened to Ove in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
I spoke to Eric Martyn Medved Biltoft in the hope that he could shed some light on what happened to Ove.
Eric told me that Ove came to Australia in his early 20’s, stayed in Queensland for 1 to 2 years then went to Western Australia, where he stayed with Eric and his family.
In Western Australia Ove learnt to cook, his teacher a Mrs. Collins.
In March 1952,Ove went to the Northern Territory with a team of prospectors, as the cook, they were prospecting for Uranium, employed by Broken Hill Propriety Company Limited.
Leonard George Hollingworth who had been employed by the Broken Hill Pty Co Ltd constantly since 1941, with the exception of about 3 and a 1/2 years when he was in the Army, and Rex Cameron Rowley a geologist.
Three other men shared the camp, not working for BHP but mining in their own interests, Owen James Escreet, F. Gilbert and A. Colley.
On the 21st of October 1952, Ove was returning with Hollingworth from a prospecting trip on foot. Ove stopped behind to rest and later walked into the camp and said he had to rest as his heart had been pounding for about 3/4 of an hour.
The following morning Hollingworth and Ove again set out in the Land Rover on a prospecting trip. Everything went normal until lunchtime. After lunch the two men separated and took different directions on foot. The men arranged to meet back at the Land Rover later in the afternoon. Hollingworth returned to the vehicle about 3pm and when Ove did not return on time he became concerned and took certain action such as a brief search, lighting fires and letting off gelignite to attract attention. Just before dark he left the area to return to camp. On arrival there he reported the circumstances and it was decided to wait until 8a.m the following morning to see if Ove came into camp.
The following morning Hollingworth, Rowley and Escreet set out to search for him and at 11.45a.m they found his body about six miles from their camp at Pig Hole Yard on Old Mt. Bundy Station, approximately 100 miles South of Darwin in the vicinity of Adelaide River.
Hollingworth and Rowley conveyed his body to Adelaide River Police Station (23rd October 1952) where his body was handed over to Constable Muir who brought the body to the Darwin Mortuary. A direction to hold a post-mortem examination of the body was given by the Coroner to Dr. C. Eccles Smith and the doctor carried this out the same evening. The following morning a further examination was made. Later that day with Sgt. Mutch, Constable Muir and Constable N.P. Tunney proceeded to Adelaide River to make further inquires regarding the death of Ove Biltoft.
The police investigated Ove’s death and Senr. Constable McFarlane from Darwin sent a telephone message to C.I.B.Perth enquiring on the particulars of Leonard George Hollingworth, stating that Hollingworth had reported that Ove had been missing since Wednesday but medical evidence is that when found on Thursday morning he had been dead for about 5 days.
Conclusion of Post Mortem is that Ove had been dead for about 24 hours and that it was impossible to give an adequate cause of death. However further the report says “In view of subsequent information submitted by Constable Tunney in reference to the mans condition 24 hrs prior to death it is reasonable to presume that the death was due to Acute Cardiac Failure. The congestion of the lungs bears out this finding”. C.B. Eccles-Smith, MB,Ch. B
Ove was originally buried at the Adelaide River, for reasons unknown he is now buried at Gardens Road Cemetery, Darwin Grave 1033 (A).Buried 24th October 1952. At the Cemetery at Lunde there is a burial plot for Antonius Biltoft and his wife Marie (Ove’s father and mother) and their children Gundrun and Inger. On the burial plot there is a memorial stone for Ove Davidsen Biltoft b:15 January 1927, Skedsbøl, died 22 October 1952 Australia.
Adelaide River Pioneer Cemetery
Description
Located 150m south of the Adelaide River Railway Bridge the cemetery contains a number of graves marked by headstones, wooden markers and star pickets.
Statement of Heritage Value
The Adelaide River Pioneer Cemetery was the first European cemetery in Adelaide River. It is uncertain when the cemetery was established but it is believed that the first burial was of a young gold-miner, Edwin Allen who died on 16 November 1874. The last burial to occur at the cemetery was that of John George Chapman on 1 September 1971. He was buried in the grave occupied by his mate Alf Hatt, hence the two grave markers for the one grave. The cemetery is the only tangible evidence of the original nucleus of Adelaide River which consisted of the QCE Hotel and Police Station in close proximity, and later the Adelaide River Railway Bridge and Station further to the southeast.
A number of WWII sites also remain along the NAR alignment including a cable junction hut and original PMG/telegraphic building slab.
During the 1950's with the government subsidies and rewards to find and mine uranium for the UK and USA weapons programs, there were uranium mines and exploration prospects literally dotted all over the Northern Territory. Most of these were concentrated around the Rum Jungle region, the Alligator Rivers region, and on the border near Queensland at Westmoreland/Pandanus Creek. Information is scarce and hard to find.
