John Macarthur was a divisive character in the first decades of the New South Wales penal colony and he was instrumental in the overthrow of Governor Bligh (see the Bligh series Eps 52-55), along with the discomfort and early recall of a number of other Governors.
But he and his family did manage to build a farming dynasty in NSW and he was often later promoted as the ‘founder’ of the Australian Wool industry. This episode takes a look at the Macarthur family, the development of his sheep flocks and the early development of wool production in the new colony, and consider the impact of the Macarthurs in that important industry.
(64 mins)
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REFERENCES Ep 57
SCOTT TUCKER, MICHELLE, 2018. Elizabeth Macarthur: a life at the edge of the world. Melbourne, Victoria: Text Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-925603-42-2.
GARRON, J.C. and WHITE, L., 1985. Merinos, myths and Macarthurs: Australian graziers and their sheep, 1788-1900. . Rushcutters Bay, N.S.W: Australian National University Press. ISBN 0-08-032972-1.
STEVEN, M., 1967. Macarthur, John (1767–1834). In: Australian Dictionary of Biography. Online. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. [Accessed July 2021]. Available from: https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/macarthur-john-2390
MASSEY, CHARLES, 2011. Breaking the sheeps back: the shocking true story of the decline and fall of the Australian wool industry. St Lucia, Qld: University of Queensland Press. ISBN 978-0-7022-3885-7.
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SCREEN AUSTRALIA DIGITAL LEARNING. Riding on the Sheep’s Back (1994). Online. [Accessed December 2021]. Available from: https://dl.nfsa.gov.au/module/1592/
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS (ABS), 2013. Wool. Online. 6 March 2013. [Accessed February 2022]. Available from: https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/7124.0Chapter132010-11
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS (ABS), 2021. Livestock Products, Australia, September 2021 | Australian Bureau of Statistics. Online. 17 November 2021. [Accessed February 2022]. Available from: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/agriculture/livestock-products-australia/latest-release
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Colonial Secretary’s Papers: 14 Sep 1801 – John Macarthur arrested after a duel, 2021. Online. [Accessed February 2022]. Available from: https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/archives/magazine/onthisday/14-september-1801#OnThisDay
DAWE. Wool. Online. [Accessed December 2021]. Available from: https://www.awe.gov.au/agriculture-land/farm-food-drought/meat-wool-dairy/wool
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SYDNEY LIVING MUSEUMS. Elizabeth Farm. Online. 1 November 2013. [Accessed March 2022]. Available from: https://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/elizabeth-farm
SYDNEY LIVING MUSEUMS. A turbulent past. Sydney Living Museums. Online. 4 December 2013. [Accessed July 2021]. Available from: https://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/stories/turbulent-past
SYDNEY LIVING MUSEUMS, 2017. Remembering John Macarthur. Sydney Living Museums. Online. 25 August 2017. [Accessed December 2021]. Available from: https://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/stories/remembering-john-macarthur
TENCH, WATKIN. The Settlement at Port Jackson. In: Chapter XII: Transactions of the Colony in Part of December, 1790. Online. Available from: http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/t/tench/watkin/settlement/chapter12.html
THE BIG MERINO. History of Wool – The Big Merino. Online. [Accessed December 2021]. Available from: https://www.bigmerino.com.au/history-of-wool/
WIKIPEDIA: BANK OF AUSTRALIA. Online. [Accessed March 2022]. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bank_of_Australia&oldid=1020172879
WIKIPEDIA: ELIZABETH MACARTHUR. Online. [Accessed March 2022]. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Elizabeth_Macarthur&oldid=1075194245
WIKIPEDIA: John Macarthur (wool pioneer). Online. [Accessed July 2021]. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Macarthur_(wool_pioneer)&oldid=1034747679
WIKIPEDIA: PARRAMATTA. Online. [Accessed March 2022]. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Parramatta&oldid=1076223573
ABC NEWS, 2020. National sheep flock headed for lowest point since 1904, but hope springs from rain. ABC News. Online. [Accessed February 2022]. Available from: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-17/confidence-remains-high-despite-sheep-numbers-plummeting/11971426
Music & other links:
- Intro/Exit music modified from: ‘Grand Canyon’ by LÃHSTANA DAVID [CCFM Music]
ABC RADIO NATIONAL, 2018. Elizabeth Macarthur, colonial farmer and wool pioneer: Michelle Scott Tucker. Radio National: Saturday Extra. Online. Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 18 May 2018. [Accessed March 2022]. Available from: https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/saturdayextra/elizabeth-macarthur-life/9666242