Recent Publications
Robert Russell: Artist of Early Melbourne (2017)
Edited by Fay Woodhouse
Trained in Edinburgh as a surveyor and architect, Robert Russell came to Australia in 1833 and immediately found work in Sydney with the Surveyor-General. In 1836 he was appointed Chief Surveyor and Commissioner of Crown Lands in the Port Phillip District; in 1838 he was appointed Clerk of Works. His lackadaisical manner and disrespectful attitude to his superiors resulted in his dismissal from all official posts. Despite this setback, he lived and worked in Melbourne for almost the entire Victorian era. In 1837, Governor Bourke replaced Russell as Chief Surveyor with Robert Hoddle. However, Russell was also a talented architect and artist. He designed Melbourne’s first church, St James Old Cathedral. What many people are unaware of is his extraordinary talent as an artist. As Melbourne grew from a small settlement to a major metropolis, Robert Russell recorded its development through pen & ink drawings, watercolours and portraits.
Patricia Hawkins’ enthusiasm for Russell’s work and her defence of his name and reputation is infectious. Her argument that his paintings have been overlooked and should not have been is quite compelling. His distinctive contribution to Melbourne during the period 1836-1900 is brought to life in this lively biography.
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/russell-robert-2621 Robert Russell's listing on ADB.
The enterprising Mr MacGregor: stockbreeder and pioneer pastoralist (2016)
The enterprising Mr MacGregor of the title was an ambitious and talented Scottish Highlander who tried his luck as a shepherd in a new country and made good. Born in the Scottish Highlands in 1835, Duncan MacGregor, the oldest son of a successful tenant farmer, emigrated to escape the Scottish clearances and arrived in Melbourne in 1857.
Duncan’s skills as a shepherd and manager of stock were in demand and he gained experience in the pastoral industry in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. He quickly realised the pedigree required for cattle, sheep and horses in the harsh Australian climate and led the industry in breeding programs. In 1869 MacGregor established his famous studs of pure Booth Shorthorns, Clydesdale horses and Border Leicester sheep at Riddells Creek in the Macedon Ranges, north of Melbourne.
In the 1870s, with his widowed mother-in-law Christina McRae, MacGregor increased the family’s holdings and took up dozens of runs on Cooper Creek and the Wilson River in Queensland. The holdings totaled hundred of square miles of pastoral land. Two of MacGregor's properties, Glengyle and Durham Downs Stations, famous for their massive expanses and quality of cattle produced on them, were later purchased by Sidney Kidman. Glengyle is now one of the largest pastoral properties in Australia.
MacGregor's life was one of extremes. He was highly successful in his venture draining Kooweerup Swamp in Victoria and as a pastoral pioneer in the Channel Country of Western Queensland. At the peak of his power in the 1880s the family holdings totalled thousands of square miles of rich cattle country. The Federation Drought dealt MacGregor's pastoral empire a drastic blow. His major losses were exacerbated by his ill-advised attempts at money-lending and property speculation.
This biography of Duncan MacGregor is an exciting and highly readable account of how he survived the ordeal and lived to tell the tale. It is a compelling story of his remarkable life.
