William Telfer

Born: 7 October 1802 — Oxnam Parish, Roxburghshire, Scotland
Died: 16 September 1850 — Tamworth, New South Wales
Mother: Janet Nichol
Father: William Telfer (shepherd)
Spouse: Margaret (surname unknown) — m. unknown, before 1841

Life Summary

William Telfer was born on 7 October 1802 in the Parish of Oxnam, Roxburghshire, Scotland, the fourth child of William Telfer, a shepherd, and his wife Janet Nichol. From an early age, William and his older brother Andrew worked as shepherds in the Cheviot Hills region, herding sheep through hard winters and bad seasons when work was difficult to obtain.

In 1825 William and Andrew signed on as Indented Servants — "Free People" — with the newly formed Australian Agricultural Company. William's agreement was dated 10 February 1825, with an annual salary of £30. He sailed on the "York" which arrived in Sydney Harbour on 13 November 1825. His brother Andrew arrived two days later on the "Brothers".

William rose through the ranks of the Company over the next two decades. He was Shepherd in Charge at Booral from 1827, supervising up to 1,877 sheep. By 1828 he was Master Shepherd at three stations, supplying shepherds with fresh meat three times a week on horseback. In 1832 he accompanied Sir Edward Parry (the Arctic explorer turned Company Commissioner) on the expedition to the Liverpool Plains to assess land for the Company's new stations at Warrah and Goonoo Goonoo. Parry selected William as Manager of the new sheep stations, writing that William was "an intelligent, sober, industrious man, and as careful of the Co.'s property as if it were his own."

William moved 6,000 lambing ewes from Port Stephens to Warrah with the loss of only one sheep — a remarkable feat. In 1835 he was put in charge of the Goonoo Goonoo sheep station on the Peel River near Tamworth. He left the Company's employ in 1844.

In 1844 William purchased the leasehold of a store and accommodation house in Quirindi on the Liverpool Plains. Sir Thomas Mitchell, the famous explorer and Surveyor-General, spent Christmas Day with the Telfers in 1845. In 1846 William built the first public house in Quirindi, known as "The Squatters Home". In 1848 both W.C. Wentworth and the Rev. John Dunmore Lang stayed at Telfer's inn on the same night — both members of the newly formed Legislative Council.

William died in Tamworth on 16 September 1850 and was buried in the old cemetery. He died without leaving a will, and his widow Margaret applied for administration of the estate, as published in the NSW Government Gazette on 29 August 1851.

Family Stories

William Telfer was born into shepherd life in the Scottish Borders and grew up knowing hard winters and scarce work. When the Australian Agricultural Company was formed in London in 1824 to develop the fine wool industry in New South Wales, William and his brother Andrew signed on as Indented Servants. They sailed on separate ships from Cowes in June 1825, arriving in Sydney Harbour in November after calling at Rio de Janeiro. The passengers remained on board for days while arrangements were made to transport them to "Retreat", a temporary property thirty miles west of Sydney. Twenty carts were hired, but they needed another twenty. Their first night on land ended in a heavy thunderstorm and miserable conditions.

William's skill with sheep was evident from the start. When Sir Edward Parry took over as Commissioner, he personally selected William for the task of establishing new sheep stations on the Liverpool Plains. Parry's despatches to London speak of William in the highest terms — "an intelligent, sober, industrious man" with "strict honesty in the case of stores committed to his charge." When the Company needed to move 6,000 lambing ewes from Port Stephens to Warrah, William and his brother Andrew did the job with the loss of only one sheep. Parry preferred William over the Company's surveyor, Henry Dangar, for the position of Manager — a significant show of confidence in a former indentured servant.

After leaving the Company in 1844, William bought a store and accommodation house at Quirindi. He built the first public house in town — "The Squatters Home" — on 200 acres leased from the government. The pub sat on the flat near Jacob and Joseph Creeks, where the Kamilaroi people camped. It played host to some of the colony's most notable figures: Sir Thomas Mitchell arrived on Christmas Eve 1845 and spent Christmas Day with the family. In 1848, W.C. Wentworth and the Rev. John Dunmore Lang stayed on the same night — both members of the newly formed Legislative Council. Lang, a powerful orator and true patriot, was having financial difficulties at the time, and William was among those who subscribed to keep him in the House.

William returned to Tamworth in 1850, but died later that year on 16 September. He was buried in the old cemetery. He left no will and little provision. His eldest son William, the "oldest native of West Tamworth" born in 1841, was working for a magistrate by age 10. His wife Margaret must have faced hard years after his death.

(From the Borders to the Bush, pp.366–370)

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