Agnes Buntine
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Agnes Buntine ( – 29 February 1896) was a Scottish pastoralist and
bullocky A bullocky is an Australian English term for the driver of a bullock team. The American term is bullwhacker. Bullock drivers were also known as teamsters or carriers. History Bullock teams were in use in Sydney in 1795 when they were used ...
. Born in
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
, Scotland as Agnes Davidson, she and her family moved to Australia in 1840. She became a bullocky there, frequently making trips across different cities to transport merchandise, and opening two stores. When working as a bullocky, she wore thick clothing and boots, unlike the clothing of most women at the time, which saved her life when she was caught in a large bush fire. She was the first person to transport supplies to
Walhalla, Victoria Walhalla is a town in Victoria, Australia, founded as a gold-mining community in late 1862, and at its peak, home to around 4,000 residents. As of 2023, the town has a population of 20 permanent residents, though it has a large proportion of ...
when gold was discovered there. She retired in 1873 and died in 1896.


Early life

Buntine was born in
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
, Scotland, in about 1822. Her parents were Sarah and John Davidson, the latter a
crofter A croft is a traditional Scottish term for a fenced or enclosed area of land, usually small and arable, and usually, but not always, with a crofter's dwelling thereon. A crofter is one who has tenure and use of the land, typically as a ten ...
; Buntine was the oldest of the six children they had. The Davidsons travelled to
Glen Huntly Glen Huntly is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District,Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, Victoria, Australia in late 1839, arriving in April 1840. It is likely that the family departed from Scotland due to Hugh Buntine's advocacy for the idea. Hugh, a brick and tile maker, had lived at
Ayrshire Ayrshire (, ) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety ...
with his wife Mary and five children since 1838 and was a neighbour to the Davidson family, but moved to Melbourne after Mary and one of the couple's children died of
typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...
in
North Head Quarantine Station The North Head Quarantine Station is a heritage-listed former quarantine station and associated buildings that is now a tourist attraction at North Head Scenic Drive, on the north side of Sydney Harbour at North Head, near Manly, in the No ...
,
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, New South Wales. Buntine became a dairymaid in Glen Huntly. On 30 October 1840, she married Hugh, and the couple initiated a dairy farm at
Merri Creek Merri Creek is a waterway in southern parts of Victoria, Australia, which flows through the northern suburbs of Melbourne. It begins near Wallan and flows south for 70 km until joining the Yarra River at Dights Falls. The area where th ...
. In July 1842, they constructed a house in
Gippsland Gippsland () is a rural region in the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains south of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It covers an elongated area of east of th ...
close to
Port Albert Port Albert is a town in Victoria, Australia, Victoria, Australia, on the coast of Corner Inlet on the Yarram - Port Albert Road, south-east of Morwell, Victoria, Morwell, south-east of Melbourne, in the Shire of Wellington. At the , Port Alb ...
and had a son named Albert. Albert is believed to have been the first white child in Gippsland, causing Buntine to be known as "the White Mother of the Gippsland district". From 1843 to 1855, the couple had five more children. They managed an inn at Morris Creek, near
Tarraville Tarraville is a locality in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, located near the mouth of the Tarra River and southeast of Melbourne. History Tarraville was established as a village in 1841, when the land was selected as part of the Reeve's S ...
. By 1845, the couple established a station at Bruthen Creek by 1845, also located near Tarraville, which covered nearly of land. Another inn, the Bush Inn, located on the road to
Sale, Victoria Sale is a city situated in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia and the council capital of the Shire of Wellington. It had an estimated population of 15,305 in 2022 according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The total population in ...
, was established by Hugh to increase the family's income.


Bullocky career

To support her family, Buntine became the first female
bullocky A bullocky is an Australian English term for the driver of a bullock team. The American term is bullwhacker. Bullock drivers were also known as teamsters or carriers. History Bullock teams were in use in Sydney in 1795 when they were used ...
in Australia. She journeyed from her home near Port Albert to
Forest Creek Hungry Horse Dam is an arch dam in the Western United States, on the South Fork Flathead River in the Rocky Mountains of northwest Montana. It is located in Flathead National Forest in Flathead County, about south of the west entrance to Glaci ...
in 1851, travelling across multiple mountains, to transport butter and cheese. She opened multiple stores, including one at
Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is an Australian city in north-central Victoria. The city is located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2022, Bendigo has a popula ...
, Victoria, and one at the
Shire of McIvor The Shire of McIvor was a local government area about north of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1863 until 1994. History McIvor was incorporated as a road district on 26 Jun ...
. In 1853, after having established those, she travelled back to Bruthen Creek. Her family moved to Flynns Creek in 1858 and owned a farm there. By this time, Hugh had fallen ill, so the family was supported solely by the money produced from Agnes' work as a bullocky. The longest trips she executed were from Melbourne to various parts of Gippsland. During one of her journeys, Buntine experienced a large bush fire. She was able to find a safe patch of ground to stay at until the fire ended, and although she received severe burns from the incident, she survived due to her thick clothing and boots. In 1862, Buntine travelled to
Walhalla, Victoria Walhalla is a town in Victoria, Australia, founded as a gold-mining community in late 1862, and at its peak, home to around 4,000 residents. As of 2023, the town has a population of 20 permanent residents, though it has a large proportion of ...
, after gold was first discovered there and became the first to transport supplies to the town after the finding of the gold. The path to Walhalla was difficult to travel and covered at least 80 miles, taking eight days to complete at minimum. A day after arriving, she killed a steer to use as food for the gold miners. As a bullocky, Buntine was described as a "steam boiler on horseback" and according to '' The Herald'' she had "strong, heavy-set, almost masculine features, her clear, intense eyes being her most marked attribute". During her journeys she wore thick clothing, boots, and a hat, in contrast to most women at the time, who typically wore "crinolines, bonnets, and shawls". Buntine also had two pistols contained in her belt and according to a man who knew Buntine, she smoked an "old black pipe".


Retirement and death

After Hugh died, Agnes continued her involvement in the bullocky business until her retirement in
Sale, Victoria Sale is a city situated in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia and the council capital of the Shire of Wellington. It had an estimated population of 15,305 in 2022 according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The total population in ...
, Australia. On 17 February 1873, she remarried to Michael Dawe Hallett, an English farmer who was aged 29 at the time of their marriage. From this time until her death, she lived at Flynns Creek and farmed there with her new husband. She died in Gippsland Hospital, Sale on 29 February 1896. Three daughters and one son of Buntine were alive when she died. Several of her children became landowners in the area and her grandson, William Buntine, became a writer and an actor. She was buried in the cemetery of
Rosedale, Victoria Rosedale is a town 184 kilometres east of Melbourne via the Princes Highway. It is situated on the southern side of the LaTrobe River. Once a staging post on the Port Albert to Sale and Port Albert to Walhalla coach runs, it was the administrat ...
, which was also where Hugh had been buried.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buntine, Agnes 1820s births 1896 deaths Australian pastoralists Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia 19th-century Australian businesspeople Settlers of Victoria (state) People from Govan 19th-century Australian businesswomen