Obituaries Australia

Herbert Broughton, n.d.

from Pastoral Review, 16 January 1915

Among the sheepbreeders of the younger generation there were fewer better judges or keener critics of the finewool Merino than the late Herbert Bancroft Broughton, who died at his residence, Penrose, Grenville, near Ballarat, Vic., on 11th November, at the age of 37, after a very brief illness due to an attack of pneumonia. The late Mr. H. B. Broughton was the youngest son of Mr. George A. and Emily Broughton, of Kurtuk, Coleraine, but formerly for many years of Kout Norien, Harrow, where he was born in 1877. He received his education at Hamilton College, and on leaving school returned to Kout Norien, where he at once assumed an active interest in the management of the station. He inherited from his father a keen appreciation of the Merino, and soon displayed in sheepfarming and woolgrowing a natural aptitude, which experience and study brought to high state. The result was the establishment of a stud of finewool Merinos, and the building up of a large flock of heavy wool-producing sheep.

His enthusiasm and aptitude soon brought to him the responsibility of classing both the sheep and the wool of the stations in which his father and brothers were interested, and which he continued till the year of his death. The RB over Broughton clip is too well known to need any comment, but both buyers and sellers were consistent in their compliments to the classer.

As a business man he was keen, just, and fearless, and all who had business relations with him—the agent, the seller, the buyer, the working man on the station—admired and respected him.

In 1900 he left Kout Norien to undertake the management of his father's estate, The Wilderness, near Coleraine, and remained in that position for several years, until he acquired an interest of his own in the station. There he remained till May 1914, when he took up his residence at Penrose, the estate which he purchased at Grenville, near Ballarat.

In spite of his many interests he found time to take his part in public affairs, and occupied prominent positions on various committees, and was for some time a councillor of the Shire of Wannon for Coleraine. Both his parents survive him, and he leaves a widow and young son to whom the sympathy of his wide circle of friends goes out in their great loss. The late Mr. Broughton's nature was a particularly genial one that no trouble seemed able to depress, and which brought a happy optimism where-ever he went.