Camperdown Chronicle (Vic. : 1877 - 1954)(about) |
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Thursday 23 July 1914
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THE PASSING OF A PIONEER
DEATH OF MR. OCTAVIUS F. W. PALMER.
The death of Mr. Octavius F. W. Palmer occurred at Terang on Saturday night last, after some weeks of indispo- sition, at the age of 81 years. The late Mr. Pamer was perhaps one of the best known men in Victoria and was a fine type of the early-comers to this country, he having been a pio- neer colonist of 76 years. Born on August 7, 1833, in London, he came to Australia with his father, the late Captain Frederick Palmer, of the East India Coy. service; his mother, and nine brothers and sisters, and accompanying them was the late Mr. Palmer's grandfather, Mr. Wood, aged 77 years, landing at Launceston on 11th November, 1838, by the spe- cially chartered armed merchantman, "Madras." The late Mr. Palmer was educated at the Church of England Grammar School, Launceston, com- mencing his term there on the opening day of the College on the 1st June in the year 1846. Three years later he left Tasmania for the Californian gold rush. When he landed in California he had 10/6 in his pocket and a horse which he had taken with him, and which he soon sold for 865 hollars. For some time he followed gold digging, but at the age of 18 years he was driving the gold esort team of horses an occu- pation which in those wild days was one of the most risky, and one which only a man with undoubted courage could undertake. After spending three years in California, he returend to Victoria, and for some months in the latter end of 1852 he was on the Castle- maine goldfields. Always having ah lik- ing for the land, he, with his two bro- thers, bought the "Dederang" cattle station, near Albury. This station ex- tended from Yackandandah to Bright, and had not been mustered for five years. With a fine experience in cat- tle, gained when quite a youngster with the well-known family6 of Fields, of Tasmania, the brothers were enabled to muster a country that the old hands of the district declared to be almost impossible to ride over. "Dederang" was held till 1862 when, owing to an outbreak of pleuro which decimated the cattle in the whole of the country - unfortunately at that stage of the development of Australia inoculation for pleuro was unheard of - the st5ation was sold, and Mr. O. F. W. Palmer came to the Warrnambool dis- trict, where he bought the Warrn Es- tate, on the Hopkins River. Warrn is the native name of the Falls now known as the Hopkins Falls. The Warrn Estate was held till 1883. After this he entered into a project with his brother Thomas to supply Melbourne with country-killed meat; but this was not a success, and in 1893, at the age of 60 years, he went to the West Aus- tralian goldfields, and did not return to Victoria until 1902. During 1909, while on a visit to Tasmania, he was so impressed with the fertility of the saoil at King Island that he acquired land there and whic he held until his death. Connected as he was with the pas- toral industry nearly all his life, Mr. Palmer was among the first to recog- nise the value of the Romney Marsh sheeip for wet country, and in the early seventies imported a considerable num- ber. In all branches of sport the late Mr. Palmer took a keen interest, and in the sixties he was in the front rank of amateur riders, and owner of horses, and a keen cricketer and hunting man. When the popular game of polo was introduced into the country from India, he palyed in the first inter-colonial match in 1874, and for a number of years afterwards with the Warrnam- bool Polo Club. In 1870 he was ap- pointed a trustee of the Warrnambool racecourse. Amongst many of the matters for the benefit of the course he was instrumental in getting the hill and the course fenced and made use of for many years it had been quite open country. Of late years there was no more interesting person to con- verse with than the deceased gentle- man. His wonderful memory and knowledge of the early history of Aus- tralia, and with his wide fund of know- ledge of the men and their ancestors now in it, he could converse for hours on that most interesting subject the early history of our great continent. While in Sydney in 1912 he became connected with the Australian Pioneer Club, and took a keen interest in its progress and welfare. The late Mr. Palmer was a fine old gentleman, who, notwithstanding his 81 years, took a keen interest in every- thing that was going. Until the ill- ness which ended in his death, he had never been ill in his life, and his game- ness to the last was wonderful. In 1867 he was married to Emily, the eldest daughter of Lieut. F. Doneton, 51st Regiment, and who was afterwards the first Goldfields Commissioner of Victoria. He leaves his widow and two sons, Messrs. Claude B. and O. P. Palmer, to mour his loss. The remains were laid to rest on Monday morning in the Terang Ceme- tery, when the Rev. E. Lethbridge officiated at the grave.
NEW srORTLVG PAl'KJt.—"Tlio \\ macr" is- to be tlio title of the nan I(>-p;iS;e weekly sportiji^ paper, which is to bo i?ue<l on July 29 from the of ln;o of "The Uerald" and "Wet-klv limes ' Ltd., .Alelbotirne. Tho paper is to supply what has been a long lelt waut, an up-to-date sportinn publica tion, m every way first-class. The turf, uoxmg, coursing, wrcutlinK, football and crii-kut (in season), boating, row ing, motorui?. cyclin K , jjolf, bouls, Ktm and rifle, polo, quoits, croquet, tisliing, billiards, gcnenil athletics, and the stape, are some of the subjects with which tho n?w venture will appeal to the public. In addition to larce numbers of illustrations, correspon dents have been secured for the record ing of the chief items of sporting in terest in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. "The Winner" will be lold for one penny.