Border Watch (Mount Gambier, SA : 1861 - 1954), Tuesday 9 April 1940, page 3


Mrs. Mary Augusta Giles

Mr. Roland Campbell writes :— The death is announced of Mrs. Mary Giles, widow of the late Alfred Giles, of the Northern Territory, aged 90 years. She was the daughter of the late Henry Lorenzo Sprigg, an early large squatter in the Far North-ern areas, and later near Naracoorte in a much smaller way. Mr. and Mrs. Giles resided at Dr. Browne's "Spring Vale" Station at the Catherine River in the early 90's, and they afterwards owned the Bonrook Station on the Stuck-Up Waterhole, South of Pine Creek. Mrs. Giles is spoken of as having been a very hos-pitable person, and old residents of the Northern Territory have cause to remember her many kindnesses. Her father, Henry Lorenzo Sprigg, held very large holdings in the Far North in conjunction with the late Phillip Levi, who was not only a squatter in a very large way, but was at one time a large wholesale grocer in Adelaide. He also had squatting interests in the South-East. After the failure of many squatters in the Northern areas, Mr. Sprigg came to the South-East, and became the owner of a grazing block in the Hundred of Hynam, 14 miles from Naracoorte, near the old Moram-bro Station. While there he was President of the Hynam Farmers' Association. He named his holding San Lorenzo, and ran 1,500 sheep be-sides horses and cattle. He spent 20 years on San Lorenzo.

When Mr. Sprigg selected in the Hundred of Hynam in the late 60's he was one of those to whom 50,000 acres

of resumed lands were allotted, but in 1880 it is said that the greater part of it had gone back to the squatters.

Mr. Sprig was a voluminous letter writer in the South-Eastern press, and advised the cutting up of the large estates into blocks of 500 acres or so on extended terms of payment direct from the Government, but he was as " one born out of due time." It would have been a pleasure to the old man to have seen the development of the Naracoorte lands under closer settle-ment in these later years. Mr. Sprigg served for a long term on the South-Eastern Road Board. He died at the

age of 70 years, and was buried at O'Halloran Hill, near his father and

mother.

So the names of Giles and Sprigg date back into the very early history of South Australia. There are three of the sons of Mrs. Giles living—Major Felix Giles, of Wayville West; Mr. Leslie Giles (Secretary to the Govern-ment Resident, Darwin) and Mr. Harold Giles (Manager of Elsey and Hodson Downs Stations, N.T.). The only daughter of the family was the late Lady Cockburn-Campbell, of Waterloo Station, North-West Aus-tralia. So the name of Giles figures largely in the early history of South Australia, from the management of the S.A. Company's station at Mount Gambier, right up to the Northern Territory, and in the mid-distances in the exploration of the hinterlands. Of

such were our pioneers !

Mrs. M. E. Hayes

Robe, April 4.

The death occurre at her residence, "Bagdad," near Robe, of Mrs. E. M. Hayes, at the age of 61 years. De-

ceased was the widow of the late Mr. Fred. Hayes, and daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Jas. McGilchrist, former residents of Naracoorte and Burra. She had a wide circle of friends, and was a keen member of'the C.W.A, until her physical disabilities prevented her from attehding meetings regu-larly. She leaves two sons, Noel and Steve. The latter is in the 3rd Light Horse Regiment at Mount Gambier. The remains were interred in the Robe

Cemetery.

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