George Gribble (1868–1947) was an Australian farmer and soldier, who won renown in

tent pegging Tent pegging (sometimes spelled tent-pegging or tentpegging) is a cavalry sport of ancient origin, and is one of only ten equestrian disciplines officially recognised by the International Equestrian Federation. Used narrowly, the term refers to ...

and other sports.

Early life and education

Gribble was born in 1868 in

Ginninderra Ginninderra is the name of the former agricultural lands surrendered to urban development on the western and north-western fringes of Canberra, the capital of Australia. Ginninderra corresponds with the watershed of Ginninderra Creek, which is ...

(now known as ‘Gold Creek’ in the

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. I ...

). He was the fourth of the seven children of Thomas and Catherine Gribble.

Farming

The Gribbles were innovative farmers and invested heavily in the latest technologies. They were the first farmers in the district to use the new steam-powered reaping and threshing machines, which they also hired-out.

Military service

George Gribble served as a member of the

New South Wales Mounted Rifles The New South Wales Mounted Rifles was a mounted infantry regiment of the Colony of New South Wales. History The regiment was formed at the Victoria Barracks, Sydney on 17 September 1888, as the New South Wales Mounted Infantry. The regiment ...

detachment established at

. His ability as a horseman and all-round sportsman first came to attention when units were drilled before senior officers at Duntroon in 1893.

Sportsman

In 1897 Farrier-Sergeant Gribble was one of four members selected to go to England for training and to represent the Colonies in military competitions in celebration of Queen Victoria's Jubilee. He won the prize for 'tent pegging on horseback with a lance' at the main military tournament in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

. Queen Victoria made the presentation of a silver cup, herself. He was awarded 28 points, with the next best competitor managing just 12. Back home, the ''

Goulburn Evening Penny Post The ''Goulburn Evening Penny Post'' was an English-language newspaper published in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia from 1870 until 1957. At various times the paper was known as ''Goulburn Evening Penny Post, and Southern Counties General ...

'' lauded his victory as follows. :''The farrier-sergeant is to be highly complimented inasmuch as this was the only event (tent-pegging) in which the Colonial forces competed against the flower of the British Army, the Imperial Regular Cavalry units.'' The Australian lancers also participated in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and Dublin in staged ‘frontier’ re-enactments for the crowds. Gribble was one of the stars portraying the capture by mounted police of a group of Australian

bushrangers Bushrangers were originally escaped convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who used the bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities. By the 1820s, the term had evolved to refer to those who took up "robbery unde ...

. The experiences of his father, who had been ‘bailed up’ by Ben Hall and his gang, when carting wool to Sydney in 1862, may have helped inform his performance. During the Jubilee festivities, Gribble also won a buck-jumping contest from 35 contestants. In London, he also top-scored in a cricket match played against the English army's team, which the Australian troops won. At home, he was not only a prominent rugby footballer and cricketer, but he was also renowned as a champion steel-quoit player, being undefeated in local club competition for a period of ten years. Farrier Sergeant George Gribble may well have been the Canberra district's first international sporting star.

Adult life

In 1893 he was brought before the Queanbeyan Police Court to answer a charge of stealing seed-corn from another farmer stowed at the

Ginninderra Blacksmith's Shop The Ginninderra blacksmith’s shop is one of the most significant historical sites of the Australian Capital Territory. It was one of the first sites to be listed on the ACT Interim Heritage Places Register in 1993. The workshop is also of nationa ...

. He was acquitted and there is no other example in his record, thereafter, to suggest that he was dishonest, or that there may have been any substance to the allegation. At home, he made a good living as a partner in the Gribble brothers’ butcher's shop in the village of Hall and in hiring out the family's farm equipment. In April 1907 a worker on the family's traction engine had his arm caught and mangled in the chaff-cutter. Gribble's quick response and the first aid he rendered the victim was said to have saved the man's life, although not his arm. In 1908, during a visit to Sydney, Gribble suffered a serious accident, when he was hit by an oncoming

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

. George Gribble's nephew, Ernie, died from terrible injuries after being trapped in the fly-wheel during an accident with the family's traction engine. Gribble married late in life. In 1910, aged 42, he wed Margaret Courtney Moore in Queanbeyan, where they settled. They had one son together. George spent the remaining years of his working life employed as an engine driver.''Australian Electoral Rolls'' for 1930, 1936 and 1937. He died on 7 June 1947, aged 79.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gribble, George Australian soldiers 1868 births 1947 deaths People from Canberra