Camperdown Chronicle (Vic. : 1877 - 1954)(about) |
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Saturday 12 March 1898
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THE PASSING OF THE PIONEERS. - DEATH OF MB J.L. CURRIB ,3NUI . A COLONIST OF 58 YEARS' STANDINO. Though the hardy pioneers who cam?nto this district itl tile earlydays of the colony, anid by their pluck and enterprise 8. i veloped the bountiful resourcres with which it wee endowed by Nature, have 2 m,,stly lived to a good old age to enjoy their reward. the time ha comne when in I the onlinary course of events they mlust iet out fir that " undiscvered ciunitrv fri"-ii whlllose boulne no ttlaivler Ieturnll i ise after the thler they iare passing away aold in a few shllort years thle tlik that bindl the pl eentit veneration tIutie Ilst will ll ba;vt been broket,, and the men who fought the goal tight will It hutu meWmery. As tie foudllllus . the citolony. hIwever, their icuee will live, adi they will be ol.ken of itll respect itl the centuries to cite, whet the p.iple f a ni-iotn lo.k leick to tell dilu past which was the dawst of their existehCe. Already this week we I hbte chrniclehd tie iealth of tlone whi was iiitiiiitely asso.,cited with the eatly his. rty of C.iuperliwt,, and it is our painful duty nowl t atnnouttie the death of itie-uf the pioneersif the plins in ti?e ??rweili'f Mr. J. L Curlie. Senr., owner if the [trea, Titangi, atnd Gala Estates. Two or three weeks ago it nts .neuntioted in a brief paragraph thet Mr. Currie wits in a critical c.tndltion and that little hope was -eater tiued of his reecovery. It was expected then that his death wouhl'have l tccurlm-d in a few days. but he lingered inll an nl cullsciuis state until pytetetlday ltourning at altiut four t' lck, when the uld cantue and he paossed sway, surrounded by the nemltas of his family. Mr. Currie at the time if his death was itn his 80th year,hlie Itilth ltite-daling that of iHer Majeitty Queen 'icti, I by a few ntoths. lie was a itnative ,f li wford, Eltrick Forest, Slkik-lhire. Scotland, tntl catme to Victoria it. 1810 at young;i ian if ouit 22 ye.urs of age. He jined his eomitia, MAtiesDt. Jtaaesand Witliae, Lahnt in glazing piuatits at Keotlr, nit the Si.,lt sater River. and iis 1844 he Carne to lotrar, aisih whtich his name will probably be astsociated t) lInig as the estate exists. In 1894 the jlhlee of Mr. Currie's turch.ase of lrarrs was celebtated hy the metmbllaers of his fialily. and tinl hat ie.auioin he gave satme iuter esting Iwrticulars that ate well worthl re ivi5ng. 'The estate was purch:ased hy Mr. Culrie. in parttnership eitlh Mr. Thomase Andelltter , frtom Mr Jilteis Kinross. In Mlr. Currie'as tin wouls :--"'IThe pron;erty ctnsiieited o.f stnme 1500 sheep anti laulli, 4 working Itul;ocka, I diay, 100 hurdles and a shepheri' s watclh-Mix,' it being neces?ary. tuilg to the packs of wild dogs, for the shepherd to sleep alongeide his sheep.yard. These, with a ptt, frying pant and .kettle, r.lnprised the ilovalle chattels. T'lhe ight of run, as was the ecatom tof that primitive time. was giveu in." The fitst shelrillg prt?luced 11 b lee of wetl, and the wallillg was dote at a waterhole at the juntction of Mundity's Gully nd the main creek. It is intereating to cimparle this amall twginnit:g sill the present ou'-put of waul from the stlae ountoy, which includes Larra, Gala, Titnuga, Poligolet, and Stotnehelge. The contast is striking. When Mr. Currie cale e t larra lie was by no means satistied witl the class iof sheep oil the stations in those days, and be tet to, work to produce an impro.vement, With this object he purchased a number if pure bred nerino rants fromt Mr. Campbell, of Muutt Hope. which had cotme from the well-known flick imported into New 8Suth Wales by Ctlonel Macarthur. Thllese were the beginning of the celeltbrted Lutrra nierinoes, the fame of which spreiad" hrtoughout Austra'i and New Zealautl. The Skipton Show ill Seltelmber was then the hub of sheep breeders, and there the Lsrra rams were renrdred as beiln0 the equal of tllolae from the E'ctldoune flick, than which no higher praise could at that tine be ' bestowed. Mr. Currie continued to im irovo Ilia fluckh steadily. He lat no opportunity tf getting the very best of ratna. and what was perhaps of searly equal importance, he attended to them in a way that was nut generl amuongst statiuln hlls are. Though the original run included what are now known as the Larrc, Gala, Ti tau:;a, Poliglet, and Stinchenge Estates, tonly tile Laria porttion was purchased y Mrit. Currie frolm the Crown, t the othller parts fell into the hands of different I owners. lie acqlilted, after L.trr., the Titatnta E?tate tretn Colonel Bluchannan, I and sulaequently the adjoining Gala estate, frilom the executors of the late Mr. John Wilson. For several years Larra has been leased to Messrs. J. L. Currie, jun., and P. S. Lang, and recently Gala was leased to Messrs. Edwin and Sibbald Currie. For many years Mr. Currie has had a town louse in Esat St. Kilda. where he has principally resided since the lease of Larr? , but he retained Titangs as his country residence. In 1852 Mr. Currie tnarried Miss Johnston, the daughter of Mir. J. S. Johnston, who occupied i seat in the legislature, amd who was the representative of one of the prprietors of the "Argus." Mrs. Currie survives her husband, and the children of the marriage livinalre Messes. J. L. Currie, jun., Edwin Currie, Sibb-ld Cutrrie, J. Cedric Currie, end H. Allan Currie, Mrs. P. 8. Lang. Mr. Riichlrd Grice and Miss Eleanur Currie. Being of a retiring disputaition Mr. Currie never took l an active part in poli tical life, though he wu press?d several times to allow hiuuself to e aunminated lor Parliettlemlt. He. hwever, took a deep interest in politicsalitairs, which he fuol lwed ltltely, and never failed to resed htl rote, cuosiderinlg its Is i. dtP to eseer cine the privilege of the freehia. He w chairMUsa ,f thie Lrst Rued Board, constitutedl at IDalingtoa in 1857, amld w als for smae time a membher of le HJapde Shire Council when that hebdy uepereded the Riml Board. He wu a Jaiees of the Peace and .alo an elder of' the Presb. teria? Church of Vietoqs Teo all pbMie iunstitutitme, and epesialty the .Zrch, he wes a liheal enntribhetor; . Mr. Curriae we geltleam whoeo m maeded the r aip t .lthe whlue nme nity by his ae_? eil e ad itegrity of characteru, e wee the slo ul peateality ad method, sad it a b he tll .id of him that his word was hi bad. DeeplJy rehiioe he never eegleted his dties in thlu weeeyee ad wdeavtees to lead r life e?eteat with th Ieuhisge of the Sriner d Mee. lie hadeteemftor pitysad aheed, Opee se d?. fr me-ig eibuly. •WhtL pee to the pr ad d'hreemed w n sever haows to she pe , It it set hee ammueted to a r ms aem ,fr h f he w ever reed to used a had whes t weeded. Alt thw., he wee a epteadid sampl f a tp mud e to -I wto mat nly.ams y. est the wed4 in gewel owes a debt of grtitude. AUsetsased ba st ers se of dty tae pred bytte bt m fhaling t~y pe their brief period oa thie ath w h eie ?a thesdsa demef s. wae, Shaow, it is eslieel iht th wiw s the beat lor m stbi g~eiee itl piasee l it i aie we, Iwa thoydid. Ibd t is bm desy.