Little Angels - Weber Children

This is part of a series of geocaches that have been placed to remember the young lives that were lost to tragic circumstances and lost in history. Keeping their memories alive.

"OUTBREAK OF DIPHTHERIA AT CAMPERDOWN" were the headlines in The Colac Herald in September 1888. The school was closed and the families infected were isolated. But it just wasn't Camperdown, just half an hour up the road, Lismore was also in an epidemic of this horrible infection.

Diphtheria was often called the "Strangling Angel" was an infectious disease caused by a contagious bacteria which primarily affected the mucus membranes of the respiratory tract. As the disease progresses the membrane would grow, eventually covering the lining of the throat causing swelling of the neck and making it difficult to breath. Eventually this membrane would become large enough to completely cut off the airway, causing choking and death.

One particular family of Lismore, Frederick and Sarah Weber had all eight children catch this disease. Out of the eight, three children died...

Albert aged 7 died on the 20th September 1888

Henry aged 8 died on the 21st September 1888

Edgar aged 5 died on the 22nd September 1888

They are buried in the Lismore Cemetery. A few years later Frederick, Sarah and rest of the family moved to a farm in Gippsland.

Diphtheria still remains today, but the number of cases have been significantly reduced thank you to immunisations and modern medicine.

Cache: You are looking for a 1 litre sistema container.