We’re Off and Running
The Sport of Kings A modern idiom - more than likely a journalistic catch cry of the twentieth century - might, for the fledgling settlement [1] at Lady Bay in 1848, more aptly be described as "a squatters challenge". Whilst Governor La Trobe’s grand plan for the port at Warrnambool had faltered due to the lack of infrastructure [2], the colonials - predominantly United Kingdom immigrants - were single-minded in their efforts to provide regular entertainment in the form of horse racing. A band of like-minded individuals formed a club and proceeded to mark out a circuit on a portion of marsh land between the mouth of the Merri River and what is now known as Lake Pertobe. Here, a mere eight months after Warrnambool's settlement had been proclaimed, they held their first race meeting.
This event was indeed visionary as horse racing [4] had only officially begun in the Port Phillip colony a decade earlier; the first meeting being held on a course marked out next to Batman’s Hill - now the site of Melbourne's Southern Cross railway station. In the same year as the Warnambool meeting, the Melbourne village of Flemington held it's first horse races at a newly created track. Thirteen years later this venue hosted the first Melbourne Cup (won by Archer) and, following Federation, became the home of Racing Victoria. The attendance at Warrnambool's ‘‘jetty flat [33] course’’ on the first day of March 1848 is unknown but it is unlikely that many (if any) city folk would have been willing to test out their ‘‘sea legs’’ on a journey to such a remote outpost. Interestingly the first race - The Maiden Plate - over a distance of 1½ miles was run in two separate heats [31]. The bookmaker's favourite was Gilbert Nicol's Mercury but the much fancied speedster was unable to finish in either heat. On both occasions, James Jellie's Woodbine proved too strong for Francis Tozer's Black Bess. |
| One fact is known however; the event was repeated in the subsequent autumns of the following three years and by 1852 it had become a two day carnival. The following year it blossomed into a three day event and by 1856 the carnival [5] hosted the first steeplechase event – albeit, for hacks – around one circuit of the track. The winner was James Jellie's Woodbine [30] and the day was concluded with dinner and a ball. The race meeting's agenda and format had been established and this was the forerunner to the classic steeplechase festival that, to this day, attracts racegoers from all over the nation. In less than a decade the breeding and racing of thoroughbred horses had become integral to Warrnambool’s culture. Upon taking up an apprenticeship [6] with Belfast and Warnambool Surgeon/Veterinarian Alexander Russell, James Chard soon became aware of the fierce sporting rivalry between his new employer and his benefactor William Rutledge - a rivalry whose roots had begun back in Belfast when Russell challenged Rutledge's best thoroughbreds with his own favourite Surplice. In truth it was probably this rivalry that provided impetus [7] to the sports rapid development.
Other key personnel integral to the racing committee's early success were the Bostock brothers, George (1826 - 1858), Augustus ‘‘Gussy’’ (1833 - 1920) and James (1837 - 1919); the above-mentioned James Jellie; Gilbert Nicol (1815-1873) [32] and Francis Tozer. All were graziers and ardent horse breeders and trainers. George Bostock, partnered by Thomas Manifold, established the first mercantile business at Lady Bay jetty and was the Racing Club's chief racing steward from 1852 - an appointment sadly lasting a short period of time as George, aged 32, died whilst on a visit to back to his native Tasmania in 1858. All gentlemen became founding members of the Warrnambool Racing Club. Whilst James Chard's relationship with Rutledge was as a contractor/ carter and Russell as an apprentice employee, his association with Tozer was far more familiar. Their friendship may well have arisen from the fact that they were much closer in age, had both arrived in Belfast at the same time (albeit via different pathways) and had both been born in Devonshire, England. Little did he realise it at the time but it was Francis Tozer's commitment to Warrnambool, combined with his passion for thoroughbred horses, that provided a vision and a career pathway for the enterprising James Chard. 1852 found Tozer, together with his wife Jane (nee Sommerville), and his two young sons, on land (purchased from Henry Foster by his father-in-law) at Lake Wangoom [8] on the banks of the Hopkins River. Tozer had recognised the property’s potential, particularly with regard to the proximity of the agistment facilities on offer for his thoroughbreds at the neighbouring Bryan O’Lynn station stables. |
| BRYAN O'LYNN - The First Decade | ||
Foster’s Run Historical documents record that the land, east of the Merri River and south of Drysdale Creek was originally cleared by Henry Foster (1819-1884) who had settled [9] on St Mary's run at Wangoom in 1842. Effectively when a track heading north-east from Warrnambool to Elephant Bridge (Darlington) and ultimately, Ballarat was established, Foster’s land was divided into two distinct runs, St Mary's and Drysdale. Henry Foster did not relinquish hold of St Mary's until 1851 [9] which would suggest that the reference to the station name shown in the newspaper article (above) proves that ‘‘Bryan O'Lynn’’ as a name had come about prior to the establishment of the mail depot [10] - and is probably attributable to Henry Foster. Bryan O'Lynn Station One of the logistical problems faced by the Western District's early settlers was establishing an efficient and reliable delivery of mail and parcel post from Belfast (Port Fairy) to Mount Shadwell (Mortlake) and Fiery Creek (Lake Bolac). Akin to the American ‘‘Pony Express’’ the Port Phillip Colonial Government facilitated numerous way-stations and appointed licenced operators (primarily farmers or graziers) who would provide suitable horses for the delivery riders. Property set aside to provide this community service was designated a pre-emptive right (PR), and it was in early 1848, just seven months after the township of Warrnambool had been proclaimed, that a postal agent’s lease had been granted to John Saunders at a station called Bryan O'Lynn.
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| For James Chard - the carter - ‘‘gold fever’’, that had caught the colony's attention at this time, provided a monetary windfall. In his Reminiscences of the Early Days [12], James Chard recalls of his profitable carting expeditions to the Ballarat goldfields; ‘‘Money (to those engaged at the diggings) in those days was no object. Cheese and butter at that time were 2/6 a lb., and eggs etc., much higher’’. James also provides further insight when he mentions that; ‘‘by the middle of 1854 - about the same time as David Wilson took over at Bryan O'Lynn - a great deal of development was occurring in and around Warrnambool’’. James Chard's association with, and attachment to, Bryan O’Lynn station commenced during the following year with his attendance to Tozer's horses. |
| BRYAN O'LYNN - The Preemptive Right | ||
| David Wilson's Early Tenure In 1851 when the Government announced that portions of Manifold's Grassmere and Foster and Strong's Drysdale runs were being subdivided, Wilson sold Buckley Creek to Warrnambool stock and land agents Stanhope and Craig releasing him to move north-west to the Drysdale / Lyall Creek district and more specifically to the Bryan O'Lynn station. At the same land sales he purchased small packets of land in the names of his (soon to be immigrant) sisters; Margaret who had married Adam Dowie and Helen, wife of Mitchell Patison. Apart from William John Turner Clarke (1805-1874) who preferred to raise sheep rather than ‘‘dabble’’ in agriculture, most of David Wilson's new neighbours were Irish potato cropping homesteaders such as the Tierney, Kavanagh, McGinness and Kelly families but the McLeod, McGillivray, McFarlane and Sommerville clans, ready to follow Mark Nicholson's practice of agricultural diversification, also purchased quality acreage. This prime fertile swathe of pastoral land had now become known as ‘‘Purnim Spring Valley’’. Upon John Saunders’ death late in 1853 , the last portion of Bryan O'Lynn station - the 640 acre Preemptive Right became vacant. Newly appointed Warrnambool magistrates Henry Foster and Mark Nicholson were the estate's executors and quickly found David Wilson to be a keen buyer. By mid 1854 Wilson was the stations new proprietor.
David Wilson's lifestyle became inextricably linked to the future of Bryan O’Lynn in 1854. The New Year brought the celebration of the arrival of his brother-in-law Adam Dowie and his two nephews; 16 year old George James Dowie and 14 year old George Wilson Patison. Later the same year two of his Mitchell cousins; 32 year old William and 39 year old George arrived. Their arrival was fortuitous indeed as it not only financially assisted the purchase [14] of the Preemptive Right but supplied the expertise (William Mitchell was a carpenter) and additional manpower to extend his humble roadside cottage into a general store and livery. A requirement of priority given that Bryan O’Lynn station still retained the postal licence but all traffic was now using the new metalled road bypassing Saunders' purpose built depot and Tozer's stables. David Wilson's next undertaking was to erect a suitable homestead, one large enough to accommodate his sisters Helen and Margaret, due to arrive with their respective families in the coming months. In truth David now fully anticipated an influx of Scottish relatives all of whom would head directly to Bryan O'Lynn. It was probably fortunate for all concerned when in 1855 the Government announced that the Drysdale run was soon to be subdivided. Having grazed the land for some years now David carefully guided the purchase of some prime allotments along the old Grassmere / Framlingham road on behalf of the Mitchell and Patison families. David also purchased for his own use a prime allotment directly overlooked by the homestead but on the opposite banks of the Drysdale Creek. This new swathe of land development became the parish of Cooramook (now known as Woodlawn) whilst - apart from the PR - the remainder of Bryan O'Lynn station became the parish of Purnim (now known as West Purnim). Agricultural diversity became the norm for the Purnim residents at this time and those at Bryan O'Lynn were certainly trailblazers. George Mitchell and Adam Dowie were master vintners back home in Scotland, so whilst the Irish farmers tended their potato plants and the Sommerville family dabbled in a wheat crop, the Scots at Bryan O'Lynn set aside approximately 40 acres to harvest hops. The experiment was so successful that decades later the valley between the homestead and the creek was referred to as ‘‘Hopfields’’. |
| The sudden influx of his employer's relatives caused quite an upheaval for James Chard and Bryan O’Lynn's stable management. To date during his brief period of employment he had occupied makeshift labourers quarters but now accommodation needed to be found for five more. Whilst David Wilson's brother-in law Adam Dowie took residence in the cottage with his son George and nephew George Patison, Wilson occupied the station lodgings near the stables. When his employee's cousins George and William Mitchell arrived shortly afterwards, George bunked with Wilson leaving William to share bunkhouse space with James. Clearly, with Dowie's wife and other family members now expected within months, construction of a significant homestead took precedence in everybody's life. Fortunately for James there were only three thoroughbreds under his care in the stables at this time - the ‘‘Pony Express’’ hacks now relocated to the Dowie cottage paddocks - as his expertise was required for hauling sandstone and slate from the Port Fairy quarries and construction lumber from the Mount Emu Creek mill. In less than twelve months Saunders' humble lodgings had been transformed into an elegant two story sandstone edifice [16] roofed in slate, with an eye-catching panorama overlooking the Drysdale and Lyall waterways. The spring of 1855 had significance for James Chard as it was when he first met his future wife. Sixteen year old, Ellen Marian Dowie had arrived [17] from Scotland with her 55 year-old mother Margaret (David Wilson's older sister) and her oldest brother David. Other members of the travelling troupe were recently widowed Eleanora Mitchell Patison (David Wilson's younger sister) accompanied by her daughter Mary Brown and John Mitchell, younger brother of William, James' Bryan O’Lynn workmate. Construction and property development was happening in every direction as far as the eye could see. The newly proclaimed village of Purnim was evolving around the Dowie general store and the two inns; The Bush, owned by John and Winifred Kavanagh and The Royal Oak owned by Patrick and Catherine McGinness. James Chard and the Mitchell boys carried much of the construction burden, firstly in the completion of the Bryan O'Lynn homestead, followed by a Mitchell homestead (on acquired Kavanagh land), and lastly a cottage and barn on David Wilson's Cooramook allotment. This would become known as Marys Vale, and James' new abode given that the homestead stables were to be refurbished following the Warrnambool Racing Club's proposed plan of establishing a new track in close vicinity. Marys Vale welcomed quite a local dignitary - The Reverend James Ritchie Dalrymple, Warrnambool's United Presbyterian Church Minister, when he married James Chard and Ellen Dowie in January 1857.
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| BRYAN O'LYNN (1857 - 1867) | ||||
| The Legend Begins ‘‘there were some crack horses in residence at Bryan O'Lynn at the time including Rambler owned by the Bostock brothers and Privateer owned by Francis Tozer’’. Rambler would go on to win the Warrnambool Racing Club's inaugural Amateur Steeplechase in May of the following year. Whilst Rambler paraded the champion's sash and Jamie Bostock pocketed the prize money, it was Bryan O'Lynn's reputation that suddenly appreciated - particularly since the new race track would virtually be on it's doorstep. Indeed when the new course opened for the 1858 carnival, the David Wilson stables already boasted a new resident in stud - the steeplechaser, Woodbine. The humble foundations of a prestigious horse breeding and racing stud had begun. Sadly disaster struck, in the form of an overnight fire [13, 15] at the stables on the night of August 2nd 1859, with Privateer and Rambler tragically perishing. Whilst burnt out stables could be rebuilt, the sudden death of his 52 year old sister Eleanora in May of the same year devastated David Wilson and all the Bryan O'Lynn family. When his partner and brother-in-law Adam Dowie also passed barely a year later, enthusiasm for his business interests understandably waned. It seems quite prophetic that the clearest description of the Bryan O’Lynn estate was gained courtesy of an auctioneer’s sale notice following David Wilson's death in 1867. With his only surviving relative, 67 year old widowed sister Margaret Dowie clearly incapable of continuing with its management, Bryan O"Lynn was offered up for auction. In what would have been a spirited and competitive gathering at Warrnambool’s Commercial Hotel, Koroit land owner Henry Phillips became the new proprietor.
  There are many verses to this ditty and no doubt, as “Orange Blossom” reports, all would have been sung with gusto during a nights dancing and carousing. In March the following year another correspondent for the Australasian newspaper visited the Bryan O’Lynn stud and described (right) the property’s surroundings in splendid glowing detail. What is of interest - in what is otherwise an article written for the racing enthusiasts of the time - is the mention of the now-flourishing hop garden originally conceived by George Mitchell and Adam Dowie. The ongoing success of this plantation can be attributed to the "canny Scots" laying cast iron pipe irrigation from the Drysdale Creek, a practice first introduced to the district by squatter John Thomson [20] on his Keilambete run a few years earlier. Whilst the stud's ambience obviously pleased the correspondent, it was the presence of Panic - and his harem - that was the main focus of his attention. As a steeplechase sire the Samuel Blackwell owned [21] thoroughbred had no equal, himself being a successful racer- barely losing the 1865 Melbourne Cup to Toryboy [22] by two lengths. Panic was a versatile beast, mixing racing with stud duties, and when he ran second the Henry Phillips trained thoroughbred [23] had already sired Nimblefoot [24] , the eventual 1870 Cup winner. Bryan O'Lynn was Panic's home - the great horse being buried on the estate. Somerset born Phillips maintained the prestige of Bryan O'Lynn stud and stables until his 52 year old wife Mary's death [25] in 1880. His own death a decade later saw Bryan O'Lynn fall into the hands of a Warrnambool speculator named Reginald Biggs. When he became insolvent [26] in 1895 the property was valued at £14,032 11s 6d and its assets valued at £14,067. Warrnambool Shire Council President and Racing Club judge David Botterill and his wife Thomazin (nee Broughton) subsequently purchased the property transforming its main purpose back to grazing sheep. Sadly David died [27] in 1906, followed by his wife a year later, leaving behind 4 young sons (all under the age of 9). The estate was held in trust for the boys but in 1937 the Botterill trustees offered Bryan O'Lynn up at auction. It was initially passed in at £28/acre but then later sold privately [28] at an advanced price to Mr J. Tobin of Winslow.
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