Obituaries Australia

James Robinson, n.d.

from Pastoral Review, 16 April 1921

Mr. James Robinson, of Kimo, Gundagai, N.S.W., one of the most prominent pastoralists in the district, died last month at the age of 87. He was born at Fintona, County Tyrone, Ireland, and came to Australia with his parents, arriving in Sydney, after a six months' voyage, in March 1839.

In 1841 his father purchased Coppabella Station, on the Upper Murray, from Mr. Henry Osborne, of Marshall Mount, Wollongong, N.S.W., and took his family to their new home, making the journey of about 350 miles by roads which were very rough, being unmade and without bridges. Mr. James Robinson was the only son, there also being seven sisters.

A comfortable home was made at Coppabella, and after the death of his father in 1868, Mr. James Robinson became the owner of the property, which he retained until 1872. Two years previously he had purchased Kimo from Mr. Granville Collins, the place being then quite unimproved; in fact, there was not more than £200 worth of improvements on the property. Immediately possession was given, however, the late Mr. Robinson set to work ringbarking and clearing, as well as fencing and putting up all necessary buildings. He was the first man to do ringbarking on the Murrumbidgee. Since then large sums of money have been spent on the place, and everything is now very up-to-date. Mr. Robinson always ran good stock, high-class Merinos and Romneys, Aberdeen-Angus and Ayrshire cattle at different times, as well as a stud of draught horses.

The late Mr. Robinson married in 1856 a daughter of Mr. John Brown, of Colstoun, Paterson River, N.S.W., and in 1890 a daughter of Mr. D. H. Evans, formerly of Wangaratta, Vic.