Obituaries Australia

A. B. Henderson, n.d.

from Pastoralists' Review, 15 March 1912

In our January issue we reported the death of Mr. A. B. Henderson, of Tourable Station, near Gunnedah, New South Wales, the result of an accident. Mr. Henderson, who was only forty-one years of age, was a very many-sided man and universally popular with all classes, being of a very bright and cheery disposition. He was the youngest son of a well-known Scottish landlord, the late Alexander Henderson, of Stemster, Caithness, and came to Australia in December, 1890. After staying with friends in South Australia, he went the following year to Tara Station, Queensland, the property of Messrs. Cudmore and Sons, to gain experience. After three years jackerooing he returned to Scotland, spending about a year in the Old Country. He then entered into partnership in the San Pedro ranch, in the State of Chihuahua, in Mexico, where he had many wild and varied experiences, becoming an expert with the lassoo, which he found very useful in after years. In those days life in that part of Mexico was full of risks, no man ever going about without a revolver. After two years' ranching, he sold out and again returned to Scotland, his father having died while he was in Mexico, his eldest brother inheriting the Stemster property. From Scotland he went for six months to India on tea and indigo plantations, but not caring for the life returned to Australia and leased and finally bought Laurie Park Station, in the south-east of South Australia. In 1901 he married Isabella, fifth daughter of the late Allan McFarlane, of Wellington Lodge, Lake Alexandrina, South Australia. Four years later, with his wife, he again visited the Old Country, staying for a year on the other side of the world, where he spent some time enjoying winter sports in Switzerland, and travelling through Italy and France and visiting Monte Carlo. Six months after his return to South Australia he sold Laurie Park, and bought Tourable Station, near Gunnedah, where he resided till the time of his death. He leaves a widow and two sons.