 Complete the following phrase:  Conolly was born in County Westmeath, Ireland. His father was John Augustus Conolly, a Victoria Cross recipient. He arrived in Australia at a young age, having run away from school, and initially worked as a drover, stockman, and opal miner. Conolly came to Western Australia in 1893, during the gold rushes, and worked as a prospector and gold miner in Coolgardie. He later moved on to Norseman and then to Esperanace, and established farms on some of the islands of the Recherche Archipelago. At the 1897 general election, Conolly stood for the newly created seat of Dundas as an opponent of the government of John Forrest, and was elected with 40.4 percent of the vote. However, in December 1899, he volunteered to serve in the 