Sir Walter Merriman (1882–1972) was an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

breeder A breeder is a person who selectively breeds carefully selected mates, normally of the same breed, to sexually reproduce offspring with specific, consistently replicable qualities and characteristics. This might be as a farmer, agriculturalist ...

who bred a new type of

Merino The Merino is a list of sheep breeds, breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monop ...

sheep which produced a high quality and high yield fine soft woolG. P. Walsh
Sir Walter Thomas Merriman (1882–1972)
''

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

'', adb.anu.edu.au. Retrieved 28 October 2024. which is regarded as "some of Australia's finest wool". This Merino wool, known today as the "Merryville" type,History
merryvillestud.com.au. Retrieved 28 October 2024. has contributed for more than half a century to Australia's export-earning

wool industry Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal wool. ...

Early life and education

Merriman was born on 18 May 1882 in Yass,

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. His parents were George Merriman, a sheep breeder, and Mary Ann, née Dowling. Beginning in 1865 his father developed a fine-wool merino

stud Stud may refer to: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay bar in San Francisco * ...

named Ravensworth in the Yass district, based on bloodlines from

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

and from

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, New South Wales. Walter attended the Public School in the village of Murrumbateman.

Career

In 1903 Walter Merriman established his own stud named Merryville located on part of his father's Ravensworth property. At the beginning his sheep were Merinos of the "Saxon" type. He acquired ewes and a sire from his father's estate and in 1911 added sheep of the Peppin bloodline to his flock. In 1915 he acquired more ewes and rams from Ravensworth and in 1921 more from the Murgha stud dispersal sale in

Deniliquin Deniliquin () is a town in the western Riverina region of south-western New South Wales, Australia, close to the border with Victoria. It is the largest town in the Edward River Council local government area. Deniliquin is located at the inte ...

. He became known for breeding fine-woolled sheep. Undertaking "selective

breeding Breeding is sexual reproduction that produces offspring, usually animals or plants. It can only occur between a male and a female animal or plant. Breeding may refer to: * Animal husbandry, through selected specimens such as dogs, horses, and rab ...

practices", he protected the quality of his clip by keeping his flock, now registered with the name of the Merryville-Murgha Stud, separate from the sheep on other properties. In 1937 he formed a family company, Merryville Pty Ltd, and extended his holdings to included properties at Yass,

Boorowa Boorowa () is a farming village in the Hilltops Council, Hilltops Region in the South West Slopes, south west slopes of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in a valley southwest of Sydney around above sea-level. The town is in Hilltops C ...

, Murrumbateman,

Bowral Bowral () is the largest town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia. It is south-west of Sydney and north-east of Canberra. It is the main business and entertainment precinct of the Wingecarribee Shire and the Southern Highl ...

and

Narrandera Narrandera ( ), until around 1949 also spelled "Narandera", is a town located in the central Riverina region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The town lies on the junction of the Newell Highway, Newell and Sturt Highway, Sturt highwa ...

. An expert wool classer, Merriman saw his merinos win top prizes at the Royal Agricultural Society's Sydney Sheep Show as well as in similar shows in

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Albury Albury (; ) is a major regional city that is located in the Murray River, Murray region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the twin city of Albury–Wodonga, Albury-Wodonga and is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of ...

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Dubbo Dubbo (; ) is a city in the Orana (New South Wales), Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the ...

and Yass. During his long career that lasted half a century he not only maintained the quality of his fine merino wool but increased "average yield of his flock to fourteen lb. (6 kg) a head and at the same time more than doubling the yield of his top breeds".

Community service

Over the years he served in local government as a member of the local Goodradigbee Shire Council, was president of the Yass Pastoral and Agricultural Association, and served in senior posts in the local bush fire brigade, Yass District Hospital, the Pastures Protection Board and the local District Soldiers' Memorial and Literary Institute.

Honours

* 1954: Knighted "for services to the wool industry"

Personal life

Merriman died in Yass,

on 25 January 1972. Survived by two sons and four daughters, he was buried in the Anglican section of the Murrumbateman cemetery. Sir Walter Merriman's youngest son, Bruce Merriman, became the managing director of Merriville after his father's death, and Bruce's son, Walter ("Wally") Merriman, continued the family connection to the Australian merino wool industry, serving as the chairman of the non-profit, Australian Wool Innovation (AWI).Stephen Burns
Merriman family has long history in growing wool
farmonline.com.au. Retrieved 28 October 2024.

References

External links

Photograph of Mr Walter Merriman, ca. 1925
at Fairfax archive of glass plate negatives
Historic Merryville Homestead
- "homestead and home built in 1903 by Sir Walter Merriman" {{DEFAULTSORT:Merriman, Walter 1882 births 1972 deaths Australian sheep breeders Australian pastoralists Wool industry in Australia Australian Knights Bachelor People from Yass