Obituaries Australia

Hubert Murray, n.d.

from Pastoral Review and Graziers' Record, 16 March 1957

One of the grand old pioneers of western New South Wales, Mr. Hubert Murray, of Bellsgrove, Louth, died on 17th February in his 90th year after a very full and successful life devoted to the pastoral industry. He witnessed most of the important early developments in that area, including the sinking of the first artesian bore, Mulyeo bore, on Kallara, and the first machine shearing, at Dunlop, and had a wide knowledge of pastoral affairs.

Mr. Murray was born on 13th May 1867 and at the age of nine months was taken to Newfoundland, Louth, where his father, Thomas Murray, had selected land some years earlier. His primary education was by private tuition, but later he attended St. Stanislaus College, Bathurst, the journey to college taking two weeks.

When his father died in 1883 Hubert Murray, then 16 years of age and the eldest of a family of three boys and one girl, left school to manage his father's estate. This he did successfully, and subsequently bought out the interests of his mother, brothers, and sister. To this holding of some 20,000 acres he added Bellsgrove, where he made his home after marrying Helena Mary Egan, of Springvale, Cudal, N.S.W., in 1897. Mrs. Murray died on 1st January 1953 and they had three sons and three daughters.

In 1924 Mr. Murray purchased Multagoona, and in 1928 a large area of country comprising the back portion of Dunlop. Over the years he transferred much of his land to his sons and daughters, and having completed this undertaking in 1934 entered into a stock partnership with members of his family, Then in 1937 the whole family purchased the remaining portion of Dunlop.

Mr. Murray was a keen judge of sheep and wool, and his flocks were well known to buyers. They were founded originally on stud rams and ewes purchased by his father from Mr. Cox, of Mudgee, and the droving of those stud sheep from Mudgee to Louth was a considerable undertaking, Another great droving feat accomplished by Mr. Murray during his father's life was the taking of a mob of wethers, without loss, from Newfoundland, on the Darling River, to Adelaide, where they topped the market at 16s. 10d. per head.

The late Mr. Murray was a firm believer in the preservation of native flora and fauna, and he had one great hobby—the study of anthropology, which he did thoroughly. He was particularly interested in the Darling River aboriginals and much of his extensive knowledge of their customs was gleaned during his youth from head tribesmen with whom he made frequent and friendly contact when they roamed the country in their native state. He owned a valuable collection of aboriginal stones and widows' caps gathered mostly on his own and adjacent properties.