Obituaries Australia

James Cudmore, n.d.

from Pastoralists' Review, 16 September 1912

Mr. James Francis Cudmore died at his home, near Adelaide, on 24th August, at the age of seventy-four years. Mr. Cudmore had for many years been one of the leading pastoralists of South Australia, and he was interested in squatting pursuits in other States also. His parents came out to Tasmania in the early thirties to join a relative who was an officer in one of the regiments stationed there; but they were not impressed with the possibilities of the Island State, and in 1837 they chartered a ship and transferred themselves, with all their stock and belongings, to South Australia. On the voyage over Mr. Cudmore was born. Soon after their arrival there his parents took over the Yongala Station, and later owned the Mount Remarkable property. Mr. Cudmore was educated at the Sisters' School at Clare. In 1857 he took over the Paringa Station, near Renmark, on the Murray. He also acquired the Ned's Corner Station from Mr. Bagot. In 1863 he went up to Queensland, and set out into the interior to find some good country on which to establish a station. He found a splendid area suitable to pastoral development, but as the law then stood the land must be stocked before it could be claimed, and while Mr. Cudmore was obtaining stock other people put their cattle on the country and claimed it. Mr. Cudmore came back to the Murray, but in 1867 he left for Queensland again. In company with his brother-in-law (Mr. K. Budge) he secured the Gooyea Station, which was then a cattle run, and converted it into a sheep station. Properties round it were brought in, and the whole became the well-known Milo and Welford Downs property. Mr. Cudmore was back on the Murray in time to experience the historic flood of 1870. On that occasion boats travelled backward and forward over the site where Renmark now stands, and the water was up to the floors of the highest houses. He remained at Paringa until 1882, and then went to Brighton, where he had resided since, with the exception of short absences. At the time of the discovery of the Kalgoorlie goldfields he went over to the western State, and erected the first battery on the field. He also acquired a claim, which, however, proved valueless. Three of his sons—James, Cecil, and Daniel— are on station properties in Central Australia; Kenneth is acting-manager for Goldsbrough, Mort and Co. Limited, in Sydney; Robert is in the service of the Executor, Trustee, and Agency Company of South Australia; and the other is Dr. A. M. Cudmore. There are five daughters.