Obituaries Australia

Mr. Laurence Sidney Rix, of Bleak House, Rowena, N.S.W., who died in Sydney on 5th inst. at the age of 87, was a native of Kent, England, and went to New Zealand when he was 18 years of age to gain experience in mixed farming in the South Island. Shortly afterwards he came to Australia and went to Western Australia. Subsequently, he moved to New South Wales and after jackerooing on Walhallow, Cobar, for a period was appointed overseer at Canonbar, Miowera.

When he received an inheritance from England the late Mr. Rix bought part of Oreal Station and named it Bleak House, which he held ever since. In 1908 he married Miss E. M. Parkes, whose father had extensive grazing interests in the Boggabri district of New South Wales.

Mr. Rix was one of the oldest and keenest members of the Graziers' Association of New South Wales and for many years represented the Rowena or Collarenabri branch of the association at the annual conference. He was a splendid speaker, a sound debater, and a keen worker for woolgrowers' interests. It was largely as a result of a motion which he moved at the annual conference of the Graziers' Association of N.S.W. in 1926, to the effect that no effort be spared to encourage the greater use of natural wool throughout the world, that the Australian Wool Board—now the Australian Wool Bureau—was formed.

Mr. Rix is survived by his wife and three sons—David, of Bleak House; Philip, of Birrah, New Angledool, N.S.W., and Howard, of Sydney.