Obituaries Australia

John Campbell, n.d.

from Pastoral Review, 16 October 1914

The late Mr. John Campbell, of Coombie, Hillston, N.S.W., whose death in a buggy accident we reported last month, was born on the banks of the River Doon in Ayrshire, Scotland, in 1846. He left his native country with his parents and ten of their children—there were twelve in the family altogether—in 1860, and landed in Melbourne in the following year, after a nine months' voyage, his father dying when within 2000 miles of port. They were all met at Melbourne by the eldest son of the family, Hugh, and went to Stockyard Hill, where they started farming operations. Selling out there, land was purchased at Kiora, and eventually the late Mr. John Campbell bought Dropmore Station, in the Goulburn Valley, in conjunction with his brother Henry.

Later on they sold Dropmore, and with his brothers Charles and Henry, Mr. John Campbell purchased Ensay Station, Gippsland. While in possession of Ensay the brothers went to Western Australia, and formed what is now Beringarra Station, on the Murchison River, but owing to blacks being very troublesome they sold out and returned to Victoria. In 1882 Mr. Campbell sold out of Ensay and went to Bulla Bulla, Cobar, N.S.W., where he remained till March, 1897, and left ruined by adversity, droughts, rabbits, &c. He got a start in Coombie, Hillston, with two partners in April, 1897, but experienced a succession of droughts. Eventually, however, he was able to buy his partners' shares, and carried on the property himself with considerable success.