Samuel Peter Mackay (1864 – 11 May 1923) was a pastoralist and businessman in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. His parents were pioneers from Ben Mohr Estate, Snizort, Isle of Skye,

Inverness-shire Inverness-shire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Nis) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Covering much of the Highlands and Outer Hebrides, it is Scotland's largest county, though one of the smallest in popula ...

, who emigrated with their parents, perhaps to Victoria in 1852, but settled in

Naracoorte, South Australia Naracoorte is a town in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia, approximately 336 kilometres south-east of Adelaide and 100 kilometres north of Mount Gambier on the Riddoch Highway (A66). History Before the colonisation of South Australi ...

in 1855. Mackay was born in 1864 and was educated at

Mount Gambier Mount Gambier is the second most populated city in South Australia, with an estimated urban population of 33,233 . The city is located on the slopes of Mount Gambier, a volcano in the south east of the state, about south-east of the capital Ad ...

Grammar School but left at age 13. He worked as a drover and a surveyor before deciding to move to Western Australia along with his father, Donald MacKay (1832 – 24 December 1901), and uncles Roderick Louden Mackay and Donald McDonald MacKay. Together the men worked in the pearling industry in the North West region.

De Grey Station De Grey Station is a pastoral lease, formerly a sheep station and now a cattle station, approximately east of Port Hedland on the mouth of the De Grey River in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Pardoo Station was established as an o ...

was owned by Mackay in 1875 and was briefly managed by

George Julius Brockman George Julius Brockman (2 January 1850 – 29 August 1912) was a prominent explorer and pastoralist in the Gascoyne and Kimberley regions of Western Australia. Born in 1850 at Guildford, George was the seventh son of Robert Brockman and broth ...

for three months of the same year while Mackay travelled to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. Realising the pastoral prospects of the country, the men bought the Mundabullangana Station in about 1880. The Mackays were involved in the racing industry and in breeding horses on the station. In 1903, following the death of his father, Mackay bought out his uncles and became the sole owner of the property. MacKay bought and sold many stations throughout the northwest part of Western Australia; J. G. Meares sold his share of

Sherlock Station Sherlock Station is a pastoral lease and sheep station located approximately East of Roebourne in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Covering an area of pasture, the lease provides good grazing land. In 2015 it was purchased by Bettini ...

to Mackay in 1910. Later the same year, Mackay acquired the Springs station, which he sold in 1910 to S.L. Burges. In 1911, MacKay unsuccessfully bid £25,000 for the Croydon Station, which adjoins Pyramid Station. MacKay acquired Croydon at a later date and sold the property stocked with 12,000 sheep in 1921. At one time Mackay had also acquired Balmoral Station from James Munro; he later sold it to B. H. Sharpe and Company. Mackay left Western Australia in 1905 and returned to Victoria while retaining his pastoral interests. He bought Melville Park where he lived until 1912, then moved to St Kilda and eventually to Rock House Estate near

Kyneton Kyneton ( ) is a town in the Macedon Ranges region of Victoria, Australia. The Calder Freeway bypasses Kyneton to the north and east. Kyneton is on Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung country. The town has four main streets: ...

, where he hoped to establish a horse stud. In early 1922, while in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

, MacKay had to have his leg amputated. He eventually returned to Melbourne but died on 11 May 1923 while in hospital. He was buried at

Brighton Cemetery Brighton General Cemetery is located in the Melbourne suburb of Caulfield South, Victoria, but takes its name from Brighton, Victoria. History The Cemetery pre-dates the Caulfield Roads Board - the first official recognition of the suburb of Ca ...

three days later with several prominent members of the racing community acting as pall-bearers.

Private life

In 1911 Mackay had divorced his first wife, Florence Gertrude Taylor, when he married Fanny Rudge who used the stage name of Fanny Dango. They married in London. In the 1920s Mackay's daughter

Elsie Mackay Honorable Lady Elsie Mackay (August 21, 1893–13th March 1928) was a British actress, jockey, interior decorator and pioneering aviator who died attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean with Walter G. R. Hinchliffe in a single engined Stinson ...

became a notable actress in Britain, the United States and Australia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mackay, Samuel 1864 births 1923 deaths Australian pastoralists Australian amputees Australian people of Scottish descent 19th-century Australian businesspeople 20th-century Australian businesspeople Burials in Victoria (Australia)