Obituaries Australia

Mr. Thomas Stanley, an old and respected resident of the Boonah district, passed away at the Boonah Hospital on February 11. Death was due to pneumonia. The funeral moved from the Church of England at 3 o'clock on the following afternoon, and the interment took place at the Boonah Cemetery, the Rev. C. C. Compton officiating at the graveside. The late Mr. Stanley was 78 years of age, and his career of stockman, drover, and settler contained many interesting incidents of the early days of station life in Victoria and New South Wales. He was born at Port Wilmot (Tasmania) in the days when it was called Van Diemen's Land, and his father was skipper of his vessel, The Surf, which sailed with the whaling expeditions into Antarctic waters. Later the family took up land, and resided at Dandenong (Victoria). His mother died whilst he was young. Thomas Stanley lived with a friend of the family (Colonel Anderson), and was educated at Wangaratta. His love for the saddle soon led him to take up the life of a stockman, and later droving. He was on Cobram station (owned by Andrew Hume, son of Hamilton Hume, the explorer), and traversed most of the well known stock routes of New South Wales, Victoria, and Southern Queensland. During the bushranging epoch of the 'sixties he and a companion were held up at a station on the Lachlan by the outlaws Vane, Gilbert, and Hall, whilst they helped themselves to the best horse on the station. The police, who expected the bushrangers at Condoblin, arrived on the scene too late, and surrounded Stanley and his companion, who, of course, soon proved their identity. Mr. Stanley saw his brother Robert (an amateur rider) win the Metropolitan on The Barb, and later the Melbourne Cup. He took up selections at White Swamp, New South Wales, and on the Queensland side at Burnett Creek, whilst he was in the employ of James Cossart and Sons for some time. After selling the latter he resided at Boonah, and spent the last six years of his life there. He is survived by a wife and family of four sons and four daughters. Three sons served in the recent war.