Obituaries Australia

W. T. Wharton, n.d.

from Pastoral Review, 16 November 1925

There passed away in Sydney, on the 16th October, one of Queensland's best known and most successful pastoralists in the person of Mr. W. T. Wharton, of Birralee Station, on the Bowen River.

Born in Brisbane in 1860, the late Mr. Wharton, like so many of his successful confreres, on attaining man's estate, entered the service of the Bank of New South Wales. In the late eighties, however, he joined his brother-in-law, Mr. James Longwill, and acquired the business of Messrs. D. and J. Bell, of Bowen, N.Q. Then in 1890 they purchased Fairfield Station, which was really their first pastoral venture. In latter years they bought further station properties, and at the time of Mr. Wharton's death he and his partner owned the following cattle holdings in Queensland:— Birralee, Collinsville; Lolworth and Goldsbrough, Charters Towers; and Neumeyer Valley, Cloncurry.

For the past twenty years the late Mr. Wharton has lived in Sydney, and since 1918 has been a director of Winchcombe, Carson Limited, by whom his services were highly valued, chiefly because of his sound knowledge of pastoral conditions in Queensland. He was a keen judge of stock and a firm believer in the importance of quality, so was an extensive buyer in the south of well-bred sires for his northern stations, and incidentally for the improvement of the northern herds. For his sound opinions, uprightness of character, and many acts of kindness, he was respected and loved by all who called him friend.

About thirty years ago he and his partner were the prime movers in bringing about the establishment of the Bowen Meat Works at Merinda, N.Q., which were eventually acquired by Bergl Australia Limited, who own them at the present time. In the early days these works were a great boon to the cattle owners. In addition to the late Mr. Wharton, the original directors were:—Messrs. A. J. Cotton, E. G. Lascelles, A. F. Matthews, Geo. Henderson, Geo. Skene, and James Longwill.

The late Mr. Wharton married the only daughter of Mr. Matthew Longwill, of Warwick, Q., and leaves a grown-up family of five sons and two daughters, all of whom are married. The sons are Mr. W. D. Wharton, of Crendon, Maxwelton; Mr. R. C. Wharton, of Kamarooka, Gilliat; Mr. F. M. Wharton, of Runnymede and Euraba, Richmond; Mr. G. H. Wharton, of Dungowan, Tamworth, N.S.W.; and Mr. F. L. Wharton, who is at present abroad. The daughters are Mrs. A. H. W. Cunningham, of Strathmore, Bowen, and Mrs. Ian Fyfe-Macpherson, who is in India.