"Locke" Lachlan Wilson MACPHERSON
Born 7 June 1847 in Adelaide, South Australia [119]
Son of Duncan MACPHERSON and Mary WILSON [119]
His parents were both from Alvie in Inverness, Scotland and had immigrated to South Australia in 1846 [119]
In 1848 he left South Australia with his parents and elder brother Aeneas on the the cargo ship Titania [160: 24-May-1848]
They were four of eight passengers who departed Adelaide on 29 April and arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia on 17 May [160]
Resided with his parents on Byeen Farm in the Newcastle-Toodyay district 1849-1867 [40] [127: pages 86, 182]
Arrived in what is now the Carnamah district with his parents and seven siblings in 1868 [120: 9-Jan-1930]
On arrival commenced grazing and farming in Carnamah with his father and brother John [4: 29-Jul-1939]
Farmer and Grazier in Carnamah with his father for a number of years, until at least 1876 [4: 13-Jan-1934] [40]
In 1871 the Upper Irwin Road Board called for the erection of a causeway across the ford of the Mulliah / Yarra Yarra Lakes [322]
Those wishing to tender for the causeway could inspect the plans and specifications with him in Carnamah [322: 4-Mar-1871]
In 1873 obtained the contract to deliver mail between Geraldton and Carnamah [37]
Married Rodda Lowe WALDECK on 7 September 1876 at the Wesleyan Church in Greenough [40]
Witnesses to their marriage were Rueben Edward MORELL and his sister "Bessie" Elizabeth MACPHERSON [40]
Farmer of Yandenooka Station in Yandanooka, Upper Irwin 1878-1884 [39] [84] [106]
Presumably took over the sheep station from Charles & William POUTT who had it in 1876 and 1877 [39: 1-Feb-1876, 29-Jun-1977]
He leased Yandenooka Station, containing springs and shallow wells, from its owner Thomas WHITFIELD [39: 29-Aug-1879]
The station comprised 69,800 in pastoral leases 789, 790, 8610, 8608 and 8609 plus 380 acres of freehold land [39: 29-Aug-1879]
In 1879 there was a seven-room house, kitchen, washhouse, store, workshop, woolshed, stockyards and men's hut [39: 29-Aug-1879]
He employed a Ticket of Leave Convict to work in Yandanooka in June 1878 [106]
His elder two daughters were baptised by Methodist Minister Rev. T. BIRD of Geraldton on 25 May 1879 [84]
Thomas WHITFIELD, the owner of Yandenooka Station, put it up for sale with tenders closing on 8 November 1879 [39: 29-Aug-1879]
The potential 1879 sale of the station was subject to his lease, which wasn't due to expire until late 1884 [39: 29-Aug-1879]
At the time Yandenooka was capable of carrying 20,000 sheep and its wool was shipped from the port at Dongara [39: 29-Aug-1879]
Donated £1 to the Irish Famine Relief Fund being raised by a committee in Western Australian in 1880 [39: 8-Jun-1880]
In August and September 1882 advertised that a chestnut gelding had been bought in off his run at Yandanooka [39: 25 & 29-Aug-1882]
Described the strayed horse and its brand in the advertisement with "if not claimed according to law, will be sold" [39: 5 & 8-Sep-1882]
Advertised in The West Australian newspaper in late August, September and late October 1881 that he had 1,000 ewes for sale [39]
The 1,000 ewes were mostly two-tooth and were for sale after shearing [39: 30-Aug-1881; 2, 6, 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, 27 & 30-Sep-1881; 4-Oct-1881]
In September 1884 he advertised in The West Australian newspaper that he had 4,000 sheep for sale after shearing [39]
The 4,000 sheep consisted of 2,200 wethers and 1,800 ewes aged from two-tooth down to lambs [39: 2 & 23-Sep-1884]
His lease expired on 17 December 1884 with the station being taken over by E. Claude WHITFIELD [39: 29-Aug-1879, 1-Mar-1888]
Hosted the "Yandenooka Races" on an especially constructed racecourse on Yandenooka Station on Tuesday 4 January 1881 [160]
The races consisted of the horses from his Yandenooka Station, Arrino Station, and his father and brothers' Carnamah Station [160]
Riding his own horses Myra and Barbelle he won all three races and reaped collective stakes of £55 [160]
He rode his horse Myra to victory in the Maiden Plate with stakes of £15 and in the two-mile Yandenooka Stakes of £25 [160]
Finishing up he rode his horse Barbelle in the one and a half mile Ladies Purse of £15, and one by a head [160: 12-Jan-1881]
In 1879 he was the leaseholder of 14,000 acres in Carnamah with Pastoral Leases 8587 and 9246 [111]
Pastoral Lease 8587 was 4,000 acres in size, contained Minjin Spring and was 15 miles north east of his father's homestead [111]
In 1879 his Pastoral Lease 8587 was surrounded by unleased land with the nearest other leasehold belonging to his father [111]
Pastoral Lease 9246 was 10,000 acres in size and contained Prauaka Spring near its south west corner [111]
9246 was bounded by leaseholds held by his father and brother Donald of Carnamah and Nathaniel W. COOKE of Arrino [111]
It is likely that he ran livestock on his Carnamah leasehold while residing at Yandenooka or that it was used by his father [P1]
In July and August 1884 called for tenders for the sale of his Pastoral Lease 9246 in Carnamah [39: 22 & 31-Jul-1884; 2, & 7-Aug-1884]
9246 was six miles east of the Mulliah / Yarra Yarra Lakes ford and was "acknowledged to be the best fattening run in that locality" [39]
By January 1885 he had left Yandanooka and was the pastoralist of a property by the name of Yarra in Northampton [39: 31-Jan-1885]
Sold a consignment of store wethers in favoured condition for an average of 12/- per head in January 1885 [39: 17 & 31-Jan-1885]
His wife and children fled for the hills and then the beach in January 1885 when a fire almost reached their home [383: 28-Jan-1885]
His horse Midnight came 3rd in the Maiden Plate at the Northampton Races on Friday 17 April 1885 [383: 2-May-1885]
Attended the banquet that followed the turning of the first sod of the Geraldton-Greenough Railway on 6 May 1886 [39: 7-May-1886]
Sold the dark bay horse Glentromil at a sale at the Agricultural Society showgrounds in Perth on 4 November 1886 [39: 23-Oct-1886]
His horse Ida ran in the Murgoo and Geraldton handicaps at the Victoria Turf Club's Meeting in Geraldton in 1886 [39: 1-Dec-1886]
His wife travelled from Champion Bay on the steamship Rob Roy and arrived in Fremantle on 15 January 1887 [39: 17-Jan-1887]
Steward of the Northampton Amateur Racing Club's Race Meeting in Northampton on 26 December 1888 [39: 14-Dec-1888]
His horse Sunshade came 2nd and his horse Arrow came 3rd in the Maiden Plate at the Northampton Races in 1889 [39: 4-Jan-1889]
Judge of the Greenough Race Club's Annual Race Meeting in Greenough on 25 April 1889 [39: 19-Mar-1889, 15-Apr-1889]
One of his horses won Best High Jumping at the Bar at the Greenough Farmers Club's Annual Show in 1890 [383: 4-Oct-1890]
Steward of the Victoria Turf Club's Annual Race Meeting in Geraldton on 25 and 26 November 1891 [39: 28-Aug-1891, 2-Oct-1891]
Under the Scab Act 1891 he was appointed an Assistant Inspector of Sheep in 1892 [39: 26-Nov-1892]
Member of the Northampton Road Board until resigning in late 1892 [39: 15-Jan-1892, 9-Dec-1892]
Resided in Greenough in 1895, in Mount Magnet in 1896 and in Northampton in 1899 [39: 16-Sep-1895, 19-Sep-1896, 22-Apr-1899]
Assistant Inspector of Stock for the Victoria district in 1895 making him a gazetted Inspector of Livestock Brands [39: 21-Jan-1895]
In 1896 he was an Assistant Inspector of Stock under the Stock Diseases Act 1895 [39: 19-Sep-1896]
Through his sister in Carnamah he donated 2/6 to the Anglican Church's fund in aid of orphanages in 1899 [39: 5-Dec-1899]
He was one of the stewards of the Northampton Race Club's Race Meeting held on 17 March 1899 [323: 7-Dec-1898, 8-Mar-1899]
In 1900 he was on Milly Milly Station in the Murchison [39: 2-Jul-1900] [323: 24-Jul-1900]
Grazier of East Brook in Northampton 1903-1908 [19] [50]
In 1909 and 1913 he and his wife were living with their son Leslie on Billabalong Station in the Murchison [31: 5-Mar-1913] [120: 11-Dec-1909]
He was in Three Springs in May 1915 on "a trip to have a look over the country he used to ride over in earlier years" [10: 11-May-1915]
Bookkeeper in Northampton in 1925 [50]
Two sons of his cousin Mrs Jessie SMITH became the first pilots in the world to fly from England to Australia in 1919 [81: 28-Dec-1919]
The flight, over 28 days, consisted of Ross Macpherson SMITH, Keith Macpherson SMITH and two mechanics [39: 12-Dec-1919]
Father of Hilda Frederica, Mary Wilson, Reginald Leslie, Eva Mary, Florence, Elsie Lillian and Muriel Maud [15] [332]
Died 5 January 1934 in Northampton; buried at the Northampton Cemetery in Northampton, Western Australia [4: 13-Jan-1934]
From The Geraldton Guardian and Express newspaper, Tuesday 9 January 1934:
Death
"Macpherson - On Friday, January 6th, 1934, at his residence, Northampton, Lachlan Macpherson, son of the late Mr. Duncan Macpherson, of Carnamah, and father of Leslie Macpherson (Meeberrie), Mrs. Hilda Mitchell (Northampton), Mrs. Henry Williams (Northampton), Mrs. Henry Jones (Boogardie Station), Mrs. F. Ryan (Geraldton) and Mrs A. M. Leeds (Muggin, Murchison). Aged 87 years."
From The Geraldton Guardian and Express newspaper, 9 January 1934:
A District Pioneer - The Late Mr. Lachlan Macpherson - Long and Useful Life
"There passed away at his residence at Northampton on January 5 at the age of 87 years Mr Lachlan Macpherson, who played a great part in the pioneering work of the Midlands, Murchison and Victoria Districts. He was born in Adelaide, but when he was only four years of age his father, the late Mr. Duncan Macpherson, removed to Western Australia, and for some time lived in the Toodyay district. Later he removed to Carnamah, when that district was only regarded as suitable for cattle raising, and was on all sides regarded as a great pioneer of that district, which is known far and wide on account of its proved suitability for mixed farming. In the early pioneering work the late Mr. Lachlan Macpherson assisted his father for a number of years. Starting out on his own account, he acquired the well known Yarra property near Oakabella, and was also interested in the early days in Murchison pastoral properties. He married Rodda, daughter of the late Mr. F. W. Waldeck, one of the pioneers of the Greenough district, and she predeceased him about twelve months ago at Northampton. Coming of a racing family, he was well known on the turf, and his colours were carried to the front on more than one occasion by such well-known horses as Black Jack, Sunset and the much-talked of, at the time, Sunbeam, who finished third in a Perth Cup. He was a great authority on stock, and many years ago, when there was a serious outbreak of scab, Mr. T. C. Williams and he acted as assistant inspectors under the late Mr. J. Morton Craig, who was chief inspector and through their efforts the outbreak was eventually got under control, the late Mr. Macpherson earning great credit for his work. He gave up active work about twelve years ago, and although he continued to enjoy fair health, he had been gradually failing in the last two or three years. He leaves one son, Mr. Leslie Macpherson (manager of Meeberrie Station), and five daughters to mourn their loss. The daughters are Mrs. Hilda Mitchell (Northampton), Mrs. Henry Williams (Northampton), Mrs. Henry Jones (Mt Magnet), Mrs. A. M. Leeds (Murchison), and Mrs. F. M. Ryan (Geraldton). His only remaining sister (Miss Bess Macpherson) still lives at the old home at Carnamah. The funeral took place at the Anglican Cemetery at Northampton, the pall bearers being Messrs. H. M. Austin, R. H. Drage, H. McNamara and H. E. Eaton"
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'Lachlan Wilson Macpherson' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 10 November 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/lachlan-wilson-macpherson [reference list] |
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