Keith Champion EVERES [7805]

  General Notes:

1905 SA Birth EVERES Keith Champion Edward Maude EVERES Caroline Elizabeth JACOBS Clare 757/105
1967 SA Death 25A/1072 EVERES Keith Champion undefined Flinders

Whyalla News (SA : 1940 - 1954) Fri 23 Mar 1945
Eyesight Lost In One Eye
DAIRY EMPLOYEE CLAIMS COMPENSATION
Whyalla Local Court heard a claim for compensation by Keith Champion Everes for compensation from The Broken Hill Pty. Co. Ltd. Mr. Everes alleged that while he was stripping a cow at the dairy another cow swished its tail across his right eye damaging it to such an extent that he lost the sight of it. Mr. Basil Harford appeared for the applicant and Mr. Piper for The B.H.P. At the completion of the taking of evidence Mr. W. C. Gillespie S.M. adjourned the hearing to Adelaide to a date to be fixed.

The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954) Wed 2 May 1945
WHYALLA LOCAL
BEFORE MR. W. C. GILLESPIE S.M.:
(Sitting at Adelaide)
Cow's Tail Flicks Eye.-Contending that his eye had been injured by a flick from the tail of a cow that he was milking, Keith Champion Everes, 39 married, laborer, of Wood avenue, Whyalla, claimed workman's compensation from The Broken Hill Pty. Co. Ltd.
Everes set out that on April 18, 1944, he was milking a cow at the company dairy at Whyalla. when the animal flicked his right eye with her tall. As a result he caught ophthalmia, a disease suffered by cows at the dairy at the material time, and suffered the permanent loss or sight of the eye. The company denied liability. It denied that Everes had met vith an accident in the course of his employment, and that its cows suffered from ophthalmia at the material time. It admitted that Everes had been totally incapacitated from April 18 to August 14, but not since, and did not admit permanent loss of sight.
The hearing was begun at Wyalla and adjourned to Adelaide for completion.
Mr. B. B. Harford for Everes; Mr F. E. Piper for the company. Judgment was reserved.

Whyalla News (SA : 1940 - 1954) Fri 4 May 1945
CLAIM FOR COMPENSATION IN COURT
Dairy Employee Alleges Eye Damaged by Cows Tail
Mr. W. C. Gillespie S.M. is hearing a claim for compensation by Mr. Keith Champion E veres, from The Broken Hill Pty. Co. Ltd., for damage to his right eye, which he alleged was sustained by the flick of a cow's tail at the dairy. Evidence has been taken at Whyalla and Adelaide from eye Specialists. The following is a condensation of the Whyalla evidence. Mr. B. Harford appeared for the applicant and Mr. F. Piper for the company. Mr. Everes told the court that he began work in the dairy when the company took it over on April 1 last year. At that time the cows were suffering from eye trouble. He helped a veterinary officer, Mr. Bain with eye drops and a powder which he mixed into a fluid. On the morning of April 17 he was stripping a cow. The cow behind him hit him in the right eye with its tail. He spoke to Mr. Stubing one of the employees about it, also to Mr. Bain. Mr. Crack, the foreman, was not there at the time. Witness said he had been in the dairying industry all his life, had had many flicks across the face and had not taken any notice of them. The day after the flick he went to work as usual. His eye was feeling sore and it became worse as the day went on. He showed his eye to Mr. Bain, who, after looking at it through a magnifying glass, reported that he could not see anything. Drops of argerol weakened down were put in his eye. As his eye was still giving him much pain he saw Dr. Wallace in the evening cf the day after the accident. Dr. Wallacc gave him some drops and ointment.

ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL
Next day he was unable to go to work. Dr. Fox called and ordered him to go to Adelaide but when he pointed out that he did not think he could stand the pain on such a long journey. Dr. Fox arranged for him to enter Whyalla Hospital. He remained in hospital until July 16. After his discharge from the hospital he wrote to the company claiming compensation. He saw the company's safety officer, Mr. Richards who said to him "you know you are supposed to put a report in on these things" to which he (witness) replied "Yes, I didn't take any notice of it". In October he saw Mr. Richards again and was told that before he could collect compensation he would have to produce a report from a specialist. In November he went to Adelaide and was examined by Dr. Jay, and he also saw Dr. Tostevin.
To Mr. Piper-He had had trouble with his eyes for many years. As far back as 1918 he had granulated eyelids. In April 1942 he had conjunctivitis and in September of the following year he had an ulcer on the left eye, caused, he thought, by sand. For that injury he collected workmen's compensation. He did not remember Mr. Richards saying then "I have decided to pay you compensation but in view of the condition of your eye you must take particular care to report all injuries received at work to your foreman or leading hand". Mr. Richards may have said it. Mr. Richards may also have said "if you do not do this your compensation claims are likely to be refused". Mr. Richards told him that his eyes were particularly vulnerable to injury. Witness also said that he had been treated for ingrowing eyelashes. He described the position of the cow when it flicked his eye. There was a chain which fitted close behind the cow but it did not always hold the tail down. If the chain were kept tight the tail would be hard down against the hind quarters. He remembered saying to Mr. Crack when asked "that was causing his eye to water, 'I think I might have some eyeIashes growing into my eye". He did not say anything to Mr. Crack aboul having been hit in the eye with a cow's tail. He did not say anything because at the time he did not take any notice of the flick. When he saw Dr. Wallace he did not mention the cow's tail.

MEDICAL EVIDENCE
In answer to further questions by Mr. Piper witness said he never gave Dr. Fox to understand that powder may have get into his eye while he was helping Mr. Bain, or that he received the blow while he was holding a cow's head. He iid not tell Dr. Fox that he assisfed Mr. Bain to blow powder into the cow's eyes. Mr. Richards questioned him about using argerol in his eyes, and he told him that he had not done so but that was not true. The reason he did net tell the truth was that he did not want to get Mr. Bain into trouble for using cow eye drops on a human being.
Dr. R. O. Fox stated that Everes had a conjunctive eye in 1942. On April 19 of last year he attended Everes in his home. He had acute conjunctivitis associated with chemosis corroneal ulcer and puss in the interior chamber of the right eve. He considered that Everes had incurred some very virulent type of corrnea; a trauma.
Mr. Harford. What is the cause of the injury in your opinion having regard to the history you obtained from the patient? Having been told by the patient that at the time he received a flick in the eye by a cow's tail he was associated with the treatment of cows suffering from infected eye I took a grave view of his condition. Trauma is associated with this condition because usually infection cannot invade healthv tissues without some break in the surface of the tissue. Knowing his former eye complaint I would state that he was more prone to infection than a person with a perfectly normal eye.
To Mr. Piper - Past trackoma had caused vulnerability of the eyes. To his knowledge Everes had had it for many years. It manifested itself by such symptoms as granulation and chronic scarring of the corrnea. It tended lo induce ingrowing of eyelids. The trackoma was sometimes quiescent and sometimes may have exacervations. When it was exacervated the result was a mild flaring up of the original condition followed by further permanent scarring and damage. There was ulceration during an attack. It was usually something of an external nature that started it up again. Past damage and lowered resistance resulting from the trackoma made the eye particularly vulnerable to infection as well as trauma. Any foreign body in the eye might have caused.the trauma. An ingrowing eyelash, sand or sawdust might have caused it. It would be possible for rubbing to cause trauma in a trackomatous eye. He had not made the statement that the organism which affected Everes' eye was the same that infected the cow's eyes. He knew of no reason theoretically why the human eye should have immunity from such an infection and did not know of any tests having been conducted to ascertain if the infection could be transmitted from cows to human beings. Everes did not inform him that he had been seen by Dr. Wallace.

EMPLOYEES EVIDENCE
In reply to further questions, Dr. Fox said that Everes at first conveyed to him the impression that he was flicked in the eye by a cow's tail while blowing powder into the infected eye of a cow. Later Everes, while still insisting that he had been flicked by the tail of the cow, changed his story as regards treatment of the cow's eye; he said that it was not correct that he had blown powder into the cow's eye. Alan James Bain, laborer, said that he had practised veterinary science and was certificated. He remembered hearing Everes say that a cow's tail had flicked his eye. Everes assisted him in treating the cows for an eye disease. He used a solution of zinc sulphate in which there was some argerol a general purpose medicine for humans and cattle. The zinc sulphate was in a crystallised form. It had not been reduced to powder; it was used as a solution. Everes held the heads of the cows while the eyes were being syringed. Next day Everes' eye was very inflamed. Witness put in three drops of argerol of about 5 per cent solution. He had injected a similar solution in people's eyes before.
To Mr. Piper-He did not see the cow's tail flick the applicant's eye, but he did hear Everes make some exclamation and put a hand up to his eye.
Mrs. Everes stated in her evidence that her husband, the applicant, first complained of a slight irritation of the right eye. He did not say the cause of it.
George F. Stubing said that on the morning Everes alleged he was flicked in the eye he (Everes) was sitting between two cows milking. Asked about the chains which kept a cow in its bale, he said that they would not stop a cow from flicking its tail in the milker's face.
Arnold J. Stott said that he was milking next to Everes. He saw Everes wiping his eye with a handkerchief but he did not know of anything that had happened. In his opinion the chain did not prevent a cow "from flicking its tail and striking the milker.
Gloria D. Jacobs, who was also in the milking shed at the time, said she heard Everes say something and noticed that he was holding his right eye. She also noticed Bain looking into his eye for an eyelash. She never saw the cow's tail flick Everes.

INGROWING EYELASH
Thomas A. J. Crack, dairy foreman, said that on the day after the alleged flick by the cow he asked Everes what was wrong with his eye and he replied "I am afraid there is an ingrowing eye
lash." Up to that stage nothing had been said about a flick of the cow's tail. A few days later while the staff were on a lorry he heard somebody say that Everes had been flicked in the eye. Dr. A. A. Wallace, called by Mr. Piper, said that he treated Everes for conjunctivitis in April 1942 and again in September 1943.
John Keith Richards, B.H.P. Safety Officer, stated that the company paid Everes compensation in respect of eye trouble in November 1943. Everes alleged on that occasion that sand had blown into his eyes and he did not know the date. He pointed out to Everes that no report of the accident had been made by his foreman and that sawdust or sand could have been received away from his work. In future because of the condition of his eyes he must, he was told, report accidents to his foreman, his leading hand or at the casualty rooms. Witness related a conversation he had with Everes after he had been discharged from the hospital. Everes told him he had assisted Bain to treft the eyes of several cows but later he reduced the number to one. Everes also said that he thought a white powder was used. He denied having received some drops of argerol in his eye.
Dr. Fox, recalled, said that in his, opinion the condition of the eye was more likely to have been caused by the flick than by an ingrowing eyelash.
Continuing Mr. Richards said that Everes told him that he did not feel the flick and that at the time took no notice. He also said that it was the cow in the next bale and not the one in the bale behind him which flicked his eye.

Keith married Annie Merle JACOBS [7806] [MRIN: 2776], daughter of James Stanley JACOBS [7807] and Annie Burgess ATKINSON [7808], on 23 Apr 1931 in Res of J S Jacobs Miltalie, South Australia. (Annie Merle JACOBS [7806] was born on 15 Jan 1910 in Cowell, South Australia, died on 2 Jul 1954 in Whyalla, South Australia and was buried on 4 Jul 1954 in Whyalla Garden Cemetery, South Australia.)

  Marriage Notes:

1931 SA Marriage 327/276 EVERES Keith Champion JACOBS Annie Merle, Flinders