Modesto Varischetti

Modesto Varischetti (24 October 1874 – 3 September 1920) was an Italian miner who was trapped in a gold mine for nine days after a thunderstorm flooded it in March 1907.

He married his wife Maria and had five children, but like others in the poor region, he (along with two of his brothers) left Italy to earn better money in Australia.

The mine was located between two valleys, but there was little concern for flooding due to the extremely dry local conditions.

A diver, Frank Hughes, using a long air hose and deep-sea diving equipment, first reached Varischetti five days after the flooding and provided him with food, clothes, candles, messages, and letters of encouragement.

Varischetti's grave is marked by a headstone erected in 1987 and is part of a heritage walk trail devised by the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Cemetery Board.