Thomas Cornelius Hanley

Thomas Cornelius Hanley was born in 1863 at sea & was the son of Cornelius & Margaret (Bullen) Hanley.

Thomas was a leading storekeeper in Dalby. He married Mary Condon in 1889 & together they had four sons. 

Thomas was an Alderman in the Dalby Town Council from 1893 until his death in office in 1903, aged 38 years. He topped the poll in the February 1903 election & was one of the most popular & respected men in the district.

A newspaper article from 1903 states that Thomas travelled to Toowoomba on 18 April 1903. He was a sufferer of 'dropsy', & Drs. McDonnell and Freshney performed an operation. From the outset, however, there was no hope, and he gradually declined & died on 26 April 1903 at Nolan's Luckona Hotel, Toowoomba.

His body was brought back to Dalby by train on 28 April 1903 & was met at the station by the members of the Dalby Town Council & many others. The funeral took place that afternoon, and was attended by a large amount of people, business in Dalby being completely suspended that day. The coffin was covered with a mass of wreaths, & Rev. Father Byrne officiated the graveside service at the Dalby Monumental Cemetery. 

Note - Dropsy was a general term used for fluid retention and swelling, often associated with conditions like congestive heart failure. The term is no longer used in modern medicine.