The career of a pastoralist in the Western Division who had started on his own account only three or four years before the beginning of the last great seven years' drought, and who came through that drought successfully, is a matter of more than ordinary interest. The late Mr. William Barklimore, of Innesowen and Pulpulla Stations, was one of the very few, in fact, almost the only one who had this experience to his credit. Mr. Barklimore came from the North of Ireland in 1864, and was for a short time employed on Yanko Station, under the late Mr. Joseph McGaw, who was then manager there. When Mr. McGaw shortly afterwards left Yanko and became managing partner in Burrabogie, Mr. Barklimore went with him in the position of works overseer, and remained there for fourteen years, till Burrabogie became one of the best-improved stations in Riverina. About that time Mr. (now Sir Samuel) McCaughey purchased Dunlop and Toorale stations on the River Darling, and, as he required a thoroughly competent works overseer, he engaged the services of Mr. Barklimore, who not only carried out the construction of many tanks, dams, wells, and other such works, but took the levels for conserving and distributing water. Mr. Barklimore was justly proud of the fact that he had charge of the first successful artesian bore on Dunlop, one of the first, if not the very first, of the successful artesian bores in New South Wales. This bore was put down under exceptionally difficult circumstances, as a deep well was first sunk in the hope of obtaining a supply of fresh water, whereas only salt water was met with, and then boring was commenced from the bottom of the well. A fine supply of good artesian water was struck, but a serious difficulty arose from the contamination of the water when rising up through the stratum, which carried the salt water. This difficulty was successfully surmounted by running a puddle wall around the well in the salt water stratum, with the result that the bore was made a complete success. After being engaged for about fourteen years on Dunlop, Mr. Barklimore purchased Innesowen Station, and started as a pastoralist on his own account. When the great drought set in, his knowledge and experience of wells and water supply proved most valuable, and led to the purchase of Pulpulla Station. This purchase had no small share in bringing about the result that the end of the drought actually found Mr. Barklimore in a better position than he was at the beginning of it.
As a true-hearted man, an indefatigable worker, and a man of much resource and sound judgment, Mr. Barklimore belonged to a type of which we cannot have too many.
'Barklimore, William Houston (1839–1907)', Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/barklimore-william-houston-59/text59, accessed 12 November 2024.
from Pastoralists' Review, 15 April 1908
26 June,
1907
(aged ~ 68)
Cobar,
New South Wales,
Australia
Includes subject's nationality; their parents' nationality; the countries in which they spent a significant part of their childhood, and their self-identity.