Mr. James Holmes, manager of the Commercial Banking Company's branch at Bathurst, N.S.W., and a very noted Shorthorn breeder, died on the 23rd of last month, aged 78.
Mr. Holmes arrived in Sydney in 1864, having previously been engaged in banking in Scotland, and on his arrival immediately joined the Commercial Bank. He was for many years at Dubbo, from 1865 till 1899, and was one of the founders of the P. and A. Association, always taking a deep interest in it. He took up a property known as Holmhurst, and established a stud Shorthorn herd in the seventies. Stud heifers were purchased in 1876 at 50 guineas each from Mr. Robert Lowe, Wilbertree, Mudgee. Mr Holmes always used pedigree bulls, the first stud bull used being calved on 23rd July, 1870, and was named Red Prince.
Mr. Holmes left Dubbo in 1899, and took over the managership of the Bathurst branch of the Commercial Bank, but continued to run his Shorthorn stud and take a keen interest in the breed till the time of his death. He married a daughter of the late Mr Duncan McKillop, of Terra Bella, Dubbo.
'Holmes, James (1843–1914)', Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/holmes-james-1218/text1203, accessed 27 July 2024.