William Allan

  General Notes:

Judy Mccutcheon notes:
Geraldra Station, owned by William, is situated near Young, NSW. There is a very interesting biography by Barbara Cooper, A.M. at http://www.wkc.org.au/About-Kelpies/Founders-Working-Kelpie.php, a precis of which follows:

William Allan: born 1840 Edinburgh Scotland according to his daughter Mrs Garrett, 'his father being a writer of the signet (lawyer to us) his mother was Rebecca Lovat-Fraver. Had she been a son, she would have come in for the title 'Lord Lovat'. William came to Australia after the death of his mother at the request of his cousin the Hon. William Campbell who was then living in Victoria. After two years jackarooing in the Wimmera and Riverina districts he and a friend Gilbert Elliot bought 'Geraldra' station near Young NSW on Lambing Flat as it was then called. He married whilst on 'Geraldra', Emily Mate, 3rd daughter of T H Mate of Tarcutta.

Following the death of his partner Gilbert S Elliot in 1874 he sold out and went to Queensland and bought 'Whyenbah' on the Balonne River and 'Wollerina' on the Culgoa, a total of 1,100 square miles which together with 20,000 sheep, 40 horses, 4 teams of bullocks, a good homestead (furnished) for a total of 18,000 pounds cash. No close settlement within 250 miles, nearest telegraph station at Condamine 200 miles. After experiencing 7 years of drought he bought 'Braeside' and 'Crystal Mt' stations between Warwick and Stanthorpe, chiefly because of the beautiful climate. It was there that he indulged in a Hereford Stud and experimented in breeding up a flock of some thousand black merino sheep, their wool then bringing almost double the price of white wool grown in the area, until the aniline dyes were invented and prices dropped, the black sheep cutting less wool than the white.

Entering Parliament he represented his district successfully for electorates of Warwick, Darling Downs and Cunningham Q....' Daughter Mrs Garrett possesses an account of a farewell dinner given to him, printed on silk (when leaving Young) and a show society medal won by Brutus 1872.
Whilst on 'Gerardia' William Allan JP listed as a steward 'Burrangong Turf Club; was Vice President and joint Secretary with Mr J T McCarthy of the Burrangong Pastoral and Agricultural Association.

His partner, Gilbert Elliot, courtesy of his brother-in-law, Arthur Robinson, brought out to Australia a pair of black and tan collies from Jedburgh, Brutus and Jennie. These produced a litter of pups, with Phil Mylecharane recalling in an article in the Australasian in 1921, written by Robert Kaleski, "I asked for a pup. He told me there was only one left, and he thought I wouldn't like its colour. We went around to see the pups, and he pointed mine out, a little red-coloured one, exactly like a dingo; the rest were black and tan. I thought that it was a dingo. Mr Allen assured me that this was impossible, as the pups were sired on board, and every care taken. He advised me to take the pup, and he would write home to the breeders and see about it. I took his advice and the pup. The latter turned out a splendid worker. After having him for two years he was stolen from me down at Coolagong, near Forbes. The next time I saw Mr Allen he told me that the breeders of Brutus and Jenny had written back to say that in nearly every litter they got a similar pup to mine and that they were great workers." The dogs were the foundation of the modern Kelpie, arguably the best working dog in Australia.

William became the MLA for Cunningham in Queensland, but a newspaper report in 1894 stated that, due to ill health, he would have to give up his seat as an M.L.A. This was not so, William serving Cunningham until his death in 1901. His parliamentary record provides the following:



Birth Date: 1840 (Edinburgh, Scotland)

Death Date: 19 October 1901 (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia)

Parents: Alexander Allan and Rebecca (nee Fraser)

Family: Emila Mate at Tarcutta, New South Wales in 1871, 4 sons, 6 daughters

Education: Oliphant's School, Edinburgh; Andersonian University, Glasgow

Religion: Presbyterian
Career

Purchased Geraldra Station, New South Wales; Stock and station agent, Young, New South Wales, 1871; Purchased Whyenbah and Woolerina Stations, Queensland, 1874; Purchased Braeside Stud, Darling Downs, 1879; Partner, B.D. Morehead & Co, 1882; Managing partner, B.D. Morehead & Co, 1886. He was President, Queensland Club; Brisbane Chamber of Commerce; Eastern Downs Agricultural and Horticultural Association; Fellow, Royal Geographical Society Queensland; Committee, Royal Agricultural Society; Queensland National Association; Committee, Darling Downs Pastoralists' Association; Pastoralists' Council of Australia

Military Service: Major, Darling Downs Mounted Infantry Regiment

Parliamentary Representation:
House Party Electorate From To Elected/Departure Reason
Assembly NONE Darling Downs 29 Nov 1881 1 Oct 1883 By-election
Assembly NONE Darling Downs 6 Sep 1887 4 May 1888 By-election
Assembly NONE Cunningham 28 Apr 1888 21 Mar 1896
Council NONE Legislative Council 11 Mar 1897 19 Oct 1901 Died in Office.

He married Emily Ann Mate, 9 December 1871 in Tarcutta, NSW, Australia, born 1849 (daughter of Thomas Hodge Mate [1810 - 1894] and Maria Bardwell [1816 - ]), died 21 July 1935 in Turramurra, NSW, Australia. Emily: Notes: When Emily died, the following was published in The Scone Advocate, NSW, Friday, 9 August 1935 p 2

The Late Mrs. Emily Ann Allan
(An Appreciation by F.J.R., in '(Country Life')

The following was written in appreciation of Cr. Wm. Allan's mother, whose death was recently referred to in these columns.

So that kind and gracious little lady has passed home at the ripe age of 87 years. As a boy, when Mrs. Allan was Miss Mate, of Tarcutta Station, practically midway on the road between Sydney and Melbourne, I was acquainted with the family: In those days there were no trains, and the wonderful hospitality extended to hundreds of travellers by the Mate family is legendary.

After marriage to William Allan, who is now acknowledged as the originator of our wonderful breed of kelpies (where would we be without them to-day?) they lived at Geraldra, near Young. After selling this station, Mr. Allan went to Queensland, where he bought Whyenbah. It was on that holding on the Balonne, when jackerooing there, that I came into closer contact with this whitest of white women and her brilliant husband, who was later to be known over all the Eastern colonies and the length, and breadth of Queensland.

In the West, Emily Allan was respected and adored by all, and no one down to the lowliest myall, or gin, but would have done anything in their power for this quiet and unassuming lady, always prepared and ready to administer kindness and help.

After some ten years at Whyenbah and the management of Warken and Woolerina, Mr. Allan purchased Braeside, on the Darling Downs, from where he entered Parliament, retaining his seat for the rest of his life, and Mrs. Allan then disposed of her Queensland interests and moved to Sydney.

A few years back, and during the depression, my son joined a well known fleet of taxi-cabs. Returning home one night, he said, 'Dad, I drove a beautiful old lady today
whom all the fellows at the depot call Lady Allan.' A week later he remarked on a repetition of the experience, and I replied: 'I think you must mean Mrs. William Allan,' and he said, 'Well, dad, if anyone ever deserved that designation of 'Lady,' it is she.' He was right, and so were my deductions, and once again I established contact with this kind and courageous soul.

Now she has passed beyond our ken, but if anyone ever deserved happiness and peace, it should be the reward of the same Emily Allan.
. ⁴⁸²

  Noted events in his life were:

• connection. ⁴⁸² William Allan (1839)'s links to me are as follows:

William Allan (1839)
He had Ellice Vivyan Allan (1872) who married John Garrett (1888)
His father was Thomas Garrett (1858)
His father was Thomas Garrett (1830)
His father was John Garrett (1805) who married Sarah Stafford (1803)
Her father was William Stafford (1777)
He also had William Stafford (1811) who married Elizabeth Goodall (1814)
They had William Stafford (1842)
He had Eva Stafford (1874) who married Arthur Clinton (1868)
They had James Clinton (1895) who married Martha Walker (1901)
Her father was Thomas Walker (1854)
His father was William Walker (1820) & he also had Martha Walker (1865) who married John Sutherland (1861)
His father was John Sutherland (1829) who married Margaret Elliot (1835)
They had Elizabeth Sutherland (1863) who married John Nicol (1844)
They had Margaret Nicol (1889) who married G. A. Davies (1925)
He had Colin Davies (1925)
He had me - Robyn Bray (nee Davies) (1950)

William married Emily Ann Mate on 9 Dec 1871 in Wagga Wagga, NSW Australia. (Emily Ann Mate was born on 1 Apr 1849 in Gundaroo, near Gunning, NSW Australia and died in 1935 in Chatswood, Sydney, NSW Australia.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• note. ⁴⁸² MARRIED, ON 9th instant, at Tarcutta, by the Rev. W. H. Pcwnall, vicar of Wagga Wagga, William Allan, of Young, to Emily Ann, third daughter of T. H. Mate, of Tarcutta.