George Fairbairn (28 April 1816 – 18 July 1895) was an Australian
pastoralist
Pastoralist may refer to:
* Pastoralism, raising livestock on natural pastures
* Pastoral farming, settled farmers who grow crops to feed their livestock
* People who keep or raise sheep, sheep farming
Sheep farming or sheep husbandry is the r ...
and politician. He was born in Scotland and arrived in Australia in 1839.
Early life
Fairbairn was born on 28 April 1816 in
Berwickshire, Scotland, the son of Jessie (née Johnston) and John Fairbairn. His father was a sheep farmer.
His brother
Patrick became a minister in the
Free Church of Scotland Free Church of Scotland may refer to:
* Free Church of Scotland (1843–1900), seceded in 1843 from the Church of Scotland. The majority merged in 1900 into the United Free Church of Scotland; historical
* Free Church of Scotland (since 1900), rema ...
.
Pastoral holdings
Fairbairn arrived in the
Colony of South Australia in January 1839, together with five Scottish companions. On their arrival they camped near
Glenelg, living on
salt pork and
damper and occasionally shooting parrots and turkeys. After two months they moved to the
Port Phillip District, where they established a
sheep run on the
Werribee River near
Ballan.
[
In September 1842, Fairbairn was appointed manager of a sheep station on the Glenelg River in the Western District.][ He came into conflict with the local Indigenous population, who killed or captured hundreds of sheep. There was a violent confrontation between the groups on at least one occasion which ended with two Indigenous people being shot.][ By 1846, Fairbairn had acquired 2,000 sheep and had capital of £1,000 ().][
Fairbairn ultimately held "several million acres" of land across multiple colonies.][ A member of the so-called " squattocracy", he was known as one of the "shepherd kings" and was reputedly the first man in Australia to own over a million sheep.]Peak Downs
Peak Downs is a geographic area, and formerly a station, in the vicinity of Clermont, Central Queensland. The morphology of this region consisted of numerous distinct peaks of basalt-capped sandstone erupting from a plane, and the area has been ...
, Logan Downs, Magenta, and Barcaldine Downs
Barcaldine Downs is a former rural locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Barcaldine Downs had a population of 14 people.
On 22 November 2019 the Queensland Government decided to amalgamate the localities in the Barc ...
. He was also a director of a number of businesses related to his pastoral leases, including the Australian Frozen Meat Export Company.[
]
Politics
A long-serving member of the Corio Shire Council, Fairbairn was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly at the 1864 general election, representing the seat of Dundas and Follett. He did not speak regularly in parliament but was a supporter of James McCulloch
Sir James McCulloch, (18 March 1819 – 31 January 1893), British colonial politician, was the fifth Premier of Victoria.
Early life
McCulloch was born in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland. He was the son of George McCulloch, a quarry maste ...
's government.[ He resigned from parliament on 1 December 1865.]
Personal life
In February 1854, Fairbairn married Virginia Charlotte Armytage, the daughter of his business partner George Armytage. The couple had six sons and a daughter, including federal MP George Fairbairn and prominent rowing coach Steve Fairbairn
Stephen Fairbairn (25 August 1862 – 16 May 1938) was a rower and an influential rowing coach at Jesus College Boat Club, Cambridge University, Thames Rowing Club and London Rowing Club in the early decades of the 20th century, and founded the ...
.[ His grandson James Fairbairn and great-grandson David Fairbairn were both federal government ministers.][
Fairbairn retired to his Pirra Homestead near Lara, Victoria.][ He died on 18 July 1895 in Queenscliff, Victoria.]
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairbairn, George
1816 births
1895 deaths
Scottish emigrants to Australia
Australian pastoralists
Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly