Obituaries Australia

Roland Harrowell, n.d.

from Pastoral Review and Graziers' Record, 16 June 1951

The death occurred on 3rd June of Mr. Roland Harry Harrowell, who was well known and highly respected throughout the pastoral industry both on account of his long association with the Cooper organisation in Australia and through the many firm friendships with graziers retained from an earlier period of his career, when he was on the staff of the Pastoral Review.

Mr. Harrowell was born in Warwickshire (Eng.) in 1880, came to Australia in 1892, and went on to New Zealand in 1894. He left school at an early age to work on rough farming land in the Auckland district and during the following few years developed a knowledge of and liking for livestock generally. In 1902 he returned to Australia, where he joined the staff of the Pastoral Review, dealing with livestock matters under the nom de plume of "Camden." He was particularly interested in stud sheep, helping to form the Australian Longwool Sheep Breeders' Association, of which body he was the first secretary, and was closely associated with stud Merino circles in the days when the famous Tasmanian stud flocks were in such great demand.

Whilst on the staff of the Pastoral Review Mr. Harrowell rose to the position of Livestock Editor. At the time that the export trade in Australian stud Merinos to South Africa was flourishing he made numbers of friends amongst South African stud breeders who visited Australia, and in 1910-1911, on behalf of the Pastoral Review, he visited South Africa to write a series of articles on the sheep industry there.

In 1914 Mr. Harrowell received an offer of a partnership in a leading livestock paper in the United States if he would go there and edit it, but about that time he was also offered by William Cooper and Nephews, Berkhamsted, England, the management of their Sydney office. This he accepted, and took charge in August 1914. During the war an approach was made to Mr. Harrowell by the Federal Government to establish in Australia a local factory for the manufacture of sheep and cattle dips. A large and up-to-date factory eventually materialised, but not till 1920, and when, later on, the local company of William Cooper and Nephews (Australia) Pty. Ltd. was formed Mr. Harrowell was appointed its first managing director. He retained this position until his retirement from active management at the end of 1947, and then, by special request, he continued to act as chairman of the board of the Australian company.

Mr. Harrowell was also a member of the Sydney advisory board of the Scottish Australian Co., chairman of directors of Cooper Engineering Co. Pty. Ltd., a past vice-president of the Union Club, a member of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Kirribilli, and formerly a member of the Australian Club.

In 1909 Mr. Harrowell married Wynifred, daughter of the late James Ranken, who played a prominent part in the development of the Bathurst district, N.S.W., and she survives him, together with two daughters, Marjorie and Joan, and three sons, Jim, John, and Dick, all of whom live in Sydney.