Parish priest Father Long on his camel.
photo credit West Australian newspaper
A quadricycle.
In 1900 one of these machines made the first motor journey between Melbourne and Bendigo.
photo credit A. J. Perrier
Found some more details and photos to fill out the story of the amazing Charles Kenyon – drover, racehorse trainer, mounted military policeman, livestock auctioneer, show rider and show harness driver – and wonderfully – he traded our horses overseas! His whole family were horsey – it continues down the generations to this very day.
Charles’ wife Amy (nee Missing) helped him with the horses, together with Charles she successfully showed their ponies and horses. Their children all rode and showed successfully too – sons Douglas, Anthony (Tony) and daughter Eileen.
Tony joined the mounted police in the NT in 1938 then as war broke out joined the army in a mounted unit in northern Australia – an experienced horseman and bushman like his father, having helped since a toddler with the horses and long droving trips. Tony was an army horse breaker as well.
After the war Tony managed Vanrook station in the Gulf country – one of Australia’s biggest, then over 3,000 square miles – and very remote, and other stations. His wife was a nurse, much valued in the bush for her kindly help to many.
Charles’ nickname was Hellbent as he was fearless and stood no nonsense, and had the odd barney. His droving trips were immense. Charles went deep into the Territory from his home base of Whinstanes area in Brisbane (in the days it was semi-rural); his property Famley on Eagle Farm Road. He owned three and a half acres around his home as well as several other parcels of land thereabouts and usually had about fifty to eighty horses and ponies.
Charles occasionally trained racehorses as a hobby – having one horse and one race pony in training sometimes – pony racing was huge in those times. It was the times that Thoroughbred interests were taking control so those who did unregistered racing weren’t allowed to race in registered races (horses registered as TB’s) for 3 months. Most people did unregistered racing, and it was mostly ponies. Hence with the TB’s taking over the end was in sight for many, and Charles went out of racing after some disputes in the early 1920’s over all this.
On his droving trips, invariably bringing over 1,000 head of cattle per trip and at times mobs of horses, Charles had several regular stopovers on the long journey back to Brisbane or NSW, wherever the stock were destined for. In 1927 he and two partners moved over 11,000 head from the NT through Queensland to NSW for V. R. Cotton, during a bad drought.
Charles left Whinstanes with a plant of about fifty horses usually, some harnessed to wagons and carts, some stock horses. When Tony and Douglas were old enough they helped their Dad on these long trips. Daughter Eileen also loved horses and often went to the races with friends, she was a nurse and in WW2 an army nurse.
One of the welcome stops on the way back was Gayndah, a very horsey town from early days. Their race days and steeplechases for all comers – unregistered racing like picnic races as a big social gathering, were a big drawcard, and they had a popular horse show. It was a regular stopover with drovers too.
Once the train went through in 1907, drovers didn’t need to keep going, stock could be en-trained for the sales in Brisbane. Gayndah became a big auction centre for cattle and horses and Charles saw the opportunity, setting up Kenyon and Co. auctioneers there in 1910, partnering with experienced auctioneers – a success.
Charles Joseph Kenyon was born in Liverpool NSW in 1883, moving to Queensland as a young man to spend his adult life there. He married in 1914.
Charles also sent horses overseas, using a private wharf on the Brisbane River. His reputation as a horseman was outstanding, hence the orders. Times were tough in the 1930’s – the Great Depression – some of his land was confiscated for rates arrears. A street had been named after him in the Eagle Farm area, Kenyon Street.
During WW2 the Americans set up an army camp at Whinstanes, Eagle Farm, Brisbane. This was partly for soldiers and partly a detention area for their soldiers who’d done a crime such as shooting other Americans. American soldiers during WW2 here didn’t need to obey our laws, so it was a very hard time in Brisbane and Sydney. Theft was common including of whole houses, many murders and countless other crimes happened. We couldn’t press charges; there were a couple of show trials only. As conscripts they often did major crimes to get sent home – where they were kicked out of the army and freed. There was rivalry between the Americans themselves on a racist basis and between American and Australian soldiers. Our soldiers had a lot of lethal “accidents” and new cemeteries were opened. As there was an Australian army camp over at Doomben – within walking distance of the American camp – the danger was obvious.
Charles was given the job of patrolling between the American army camp and the Australian army camp. He wore a sidearm as issued. And he was fearless. He rode one of his own horses, a good strong skewbald, as its markings could be seen at night hence saving “accidents” due to surprise.
Charles died in 1944, before the war was over. He was 61. A great life, a man who truly knew his horses, around which his entire life revolved and depended. A great horseman and family man. Thanks again Greg for the photos and the heads up 🙂
State Library Qld.
We’ve been sent a couple of wonderful photos from a private collection – will post next weekend. A drover who took cattle and horses through Gayndah from the NT to Brisbane, and who started a livestock auction at Gayndah in 1910. He also sent horses overseas.
Photo by Charles Gabriel
National Library of Australia
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