Obituaries Australia

At Clare, South Australia, on 30th October, the death occurred of Mr. Walter Hawker, a member of a famous pioneering family of South Australia and a noted Merino sheep and Friesian cattle breeder. He was 90 years of age.

Mr. Hawker was a son of the Hon. G. C. Hawker, founder of the famous Bungaree Merino flocks, and after whom the South Australian town of Hawker was named. He was educated at St. Peter's College, Adelaide, and later studied at London University, gaining the degree of Bachelor of Medicine. He did not practise medicine, but after living in Ireland for some years returned to Australia in 1907 to take up stock breeding.

With the death of the Hon. G. C. Hawker, Bungaree stud was carried on by the sons under the name of Hawker Bros, until 1906 when the firm was dissolved and the Bungaree property, with the whole of the stud and flock sheep, was divided into five equal parts, the central portion now known as Anama going to Messrs. Walter and E. W. Hawker. This partnership was dissolved in 1909 and Mr. Walter Hawker retained the Anama prefix.

In June 1923 the Anama Pastoral Company was incorporated to take over the Anama stud, and, although Mr. Hawker retained a keen interest in the affairs of the property, in recent years it has been managed by his son John.

Intensely interested in Friesian cattle and an enthusiastic breeder, Mr. Hawker was fondly known as "the father of the breed in South Australia." The famous Anama herd provided foundation stock for many South Australian and interstate herds and took many championships at Adelaide and other Royal shows.

Mr. Hawker is survived by one daughter and two sons, Messrs. Trevor Hawker, of Western Australia, and John Hawker, of Anama.