William Shadforth
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William Shadforth, often known as Willie Shadforth (2 March 1912 – 7 December 2000) was a Garrwa man who became one of the first Aboriginal people to own a cattle station in 1953 when he purchased Seven Emus Station in the
Northern Territory of Australia The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...
.


Biography

Shadforth was born on Wollogerang Station and he worked there until he was fired following an incident where he hit someone over the head; he would later say this was the best thing to ever happen to him. After losing his job he went to
Charters Towers Charters Towers is a rural town in the Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. It is by road south-west from Townsville on the Flinders Highway. During the last quarter of the 19th century, the town boomed as the rich gold deposits und ...
and stayed there for 6 years. He then became a drover and
horse trader Horse trading, in its literal sense, is the buying and selling of horses, also called "horse dealing". Due to the difficulties in evaluating the merits of a horse offered for sale, the sale of horses offered great opportunities for dishonesty, l ...
who brought mobs of cattle and horses between
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
,
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
,
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
and the Northern Territory. When passing through
Alice Springs Alice Springs () is a town in the Northern Territory, Australia; it is the third-largest settlement after Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin and Palmerston, Northern Territory, Palmerston. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William ...
in 1953, while droving horses between Elsey and Mount Dare Stations, he won money on a bet on the horse ''My Hero'' for the
Caulfield Cup The Caulfield Cup is a Melbourne Racing Club Group races, Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under Handicap (horse racing), handicap conditions. This is for all horses aged three years old and older. It takes place over a distance of 2400 met ...
and soon after doubled his money betting on ''Wodalla'' to win the
Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is an annual Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia, at the Flemington Racecourse. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and older, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club that forms part of the ...
- the odds were 14 to 1. He was known to be a fine judge of horses and this contributed to him making these winnings. Shadforth then used his profits of £10,000 to purchase Seven Emus Station, nearby to
Borroloola Borroloola () is a town in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located on the McArthur River, about upstream from the Gulf of Carpentaria. Location Borroloola lies on the traditional country of the Yanyuwa people, on the coastal plain ...
, from his friend George Butcher. Shadforth's son, Frank Shadforth, who later took over the ownership and management of the station, said of his father: After purchasing the station Shadforth worked there alongside his family and had 10 children; Frank, who inherited the property, is his 7th son. He continued to drove cattle and would also take work shooting horses for hair to make saddles on, nearby
Brunette Downs Station Brunette Downs Station, mostly referred to as Brunette Downs, is a pastoral lease operating as a cattle station in the Northern Territory of Australia. Location Brunette Downs Station is located in the Northern Territory about north-ea ...
and as take work as a cook around
Katherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...
and Darwin. In his later years he lived at Borroloola, and he died at the Katherine Hospital on 7 December 2000. He is buried in the Borroloola Cemetery. The station remains Indigenous-owned and run by members of the Shadforth family.


Resources about Shadforth

Many resources credited to Shadforth are held by
AIATSIS The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...
including an oral history account, traditional stories and songs recorded by him.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shadforth, William 1912 births 2000 deaths Indigenous Australian people People from the Northern Territory Australian pastoralists