45-465: The Murchison Murders were a series of three murders, committed by an itinerant stockman known as "Snowy" Rowles (born John Thomas Smith), near the rabbit-proof fence in Western Australia during the early 1930s. Rowles used the murder method that had been suggested by author Arthur Upfield in his then unpublished book The Sands of Windee , in which he described a foolproof way to dispose of
90-580: A Queensland Utility Strap which can be used as a belt, neck strap, lunch-time hobble or a tie for a "micky". This attire is still used in Australian Stock Horse competitions. Pocket knives may be used to castrate and/or earmark an animal, to bang cattle tails or in an emergency to cut free an animal entangled in a rope or horse tack . Specially designed and cut for riding, oilskin Driza-Bone coats are used during wet weather. The horse typically wears
135-523: A body and thus commit the perfect murder . Rowles was born in 1905 in North Perth, Western Australia . His original name was John Thomas Smith. Prior to the murders, Rowles served three months in jail for theft. Upfield had already written three novels, but was working as a fence boundary rider on the rabbit-proof fence in Western Australia. He had decided to write another detective novel , but with
180-488: A car; Rowles told Yates that Ryan and Lloyd were walking through the scrub, though Yates did not see them himself. On Christmas Eve, 1929, Upfield was with a colleague in the small town of Youanmi when he met Rowles, who told him that Ryan had decided to stay in Mount Magnet and had lent him his truck. Rowles later told another person he had purchased Ryan's truck for £80. A New Zealander named Louis Carron had arrived in
225-470: A court. In the case of Carron, he had omitted one step – destroying all metal remains with acid. Several items which belonged to Carron were found and identified as his. Carron had assumed a new name, and was previously known as Leslie George Brown. His wife, Mrs. Brown, had attended a jeweller in Auckland to have a wedding ring recut. The jeweller's assistant had accidentally used a 9-carat solder to rejoin
270-486: A feature of agricultural shows such as the Sydney Royal Easter Show . Stockman challenges are also gaining in popularity across the eastern states of Australia. In this event competitors show their skills by whipcracking , packing a packhorse (to be led around a course), bareback obstacle course, cross country, shoeing and stock handling competing in a single Australian Stock Saddle . The best will compete in
315-433: A final with a brumby catch and a second final section of a stock saddle buckjump ride where they have to mark out carrying a stockwhip, or a timed obstacle event. The role of the stockmen has often been celebrated in various media, with the stockman being generally more highly renowned for his ability to bring down a bullock than an outlaw and for sharp wit rather than sharp shooting . Two well-known songs commemorate
360-430: A large part in the successful running of many stations. With their intimate bonds to their tribal places, and local knowledge they also took considerable pride in their work. After the gold rushes white labour was expensive and difficult to retain. Aboriginal women also worked with cattle on the northern stations after this practice developed in northern Queensland during the 1880s. A Native Administration Act later stopped
405-411: A plot difference; there being no body for the detective to find. Unfortunately, he could not think of a way to dispose of a body. He mentioned this difficulty to a colleague, George Ritchie. Ritchie devised a disposal method: burn the victim's body along with that of a large animal, sift any metal fragments out of the ashes, dissolve them in acid, pound any remaining bone fragments into dust, then discard
450-498: A ringhead bridle, a saddle cloth, a leather Australian stock saddle , which may be equipped with a breastplate in steep country, and saddlebag and quart-pot. Stockmen traditionally ride horses , use working dogs and a stockwhip for stock work and mustering , but motorised vehicles are increasingly used. Sometimes the vehicles that are used are four-wheel drive (4WD) "paddock-bashers", which are often old unregistered utilities. These vehicles may also be modified by removing
495-736: A state or federal award, which is reviewed regularly. A stockman is responsible for the care for livestock and treatment of their injuries and illnesses. This includes feeding, watering, mustering , droving, branding, castrating, ear tagging , weighing, vaccinating livestock and dealing with their predators. Stockmen need to be able to judge age by examining the dentition (teeth) of cattle, sheep and occasionally horses. Those caring for sheep will regularly have to deal with flystrike treatments, jetting animals, worm control and lamb marking. Pregnant livestock usually receive special care in late pregnancy and stockmen may have to deal with dystocia (abnormal or difficult birth or labour). A good stockman
SECTION 10
#1732931275665540-401: Is a felt Akubra hat; a double-flapped, two-pocket (for stock notebooks) cotton shirt; a plaited Kangaroo leather belt carrying a stockman's pocket knife in a pouch; light coloured, stockman cut, moleskin trousers with brown elastic side boots. The moleskin trousers have now largely been replaced by jeans. The plaited belt is often replaced by a working stockman or ringer with a belt known as
585-420: Is aware of livestock behavioural characteristics, and has an awareness of flight zone distances of the livestock being handled. Apart from livestock duties a stock person will inspect, maintain and repair fences, gates and yards that have been broken by storms, fallen trees, livestock and wildlife. A head stockman is responsible for a number of workers and a range of livestock and property operations including
630-411: Is involved in routine duties on a rural property or station, which may also involve caring for livestock. With pastoral properties facing dire recruitment problems as young men are lured into the booming mining industry, young women from the cities are becoming a common sight on outback stations, often attracted by the chance to work with horses. An associated occupation is that of the drover , who, like
675-457: Is necessitated in Australia by the large size of the "properties" which may be called sheep stations or cattle stations , depending upon the type of stock. In the inland regions of most states excluding Victoria and Tasmania, cattle stations may exceed 10,000 km with the largest being Anna Creek Station at 24,000 km (6,000,000 acres). The traditional attire of a stockman or grazier
720-687: The Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame was established to pay tribute to the pioneers of the Australian outback . Dalwallinu, Western Australia Dalwallinu ( / ˈ d aʊ l w ɒ l ɪ nj u / or / d æ l ˈ w ɒ l ə nj u / ), colloquially called Dally , is a town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia , located 248 km from Perth via the Great Northern Highway . Agriculture and supporting industries are
765-501: The Badimaya people lived in the northern areas of the shire and the Karlamaya people inhabited the southern areas. Originally called South Nugadong, the town was officially gazetted in 1914. The first Europeans to arrive were Benedictine monks who came from New Norcia to graze their sheep on the pastoral leases that they had taken up. The first settlers arrived, hoping to develop
810-517: The Murchison area in 1929, having come from Perth with a friend. He had found a job at Wydgee Station. In May 1930, Carron left his work and was seen with Rowles. Rowles cashed Carron's pay cheque at the town of Paynesville, east of Mount Magnet. Carron's friend sent a reply-paid telegram to Rowles at Youanmi asking for information about Carron, but Rowles did not reply. Carron had kept regular correspondence with his friends, and thus his disappearance
855-544: The Wheat Pool of Western Australia announced that the town would have two grain elevators , each fitted with an engine, installed at the railway siding. Dalwallinu is on the railway line that used to be utilised for Northam to Mullewa rail services, such as The Mullewa . They no longer operate, with the line inoperational between Dalwallinu and Perenjori South. [REDACTED] Media related to Dalwallinu, Western Australia at Wikimedia Commons This article about
900-465: The livestock on a station , traditionally on horse. It has a similar meaning to " cowboy ". A stockman may also be employed at an abattoir , feedlot , on a livestock export ship, or with a stock and station agency. Stockmen who work with the cattle in the Top End are known as ringers and are often only employed for the dry season which lasts from April to October. A station hand is an employee who
945-565: The shearer may be an itinerant worker, and is employed in tending to livestock while they are travelling on a stock route . A station trainee is known as a jackaroo (male) or jillaroo (female). The role of the mounted stockmen came into being early in the 19th century, after the Blue Mountains , separating the coastal plain of the Sydney region from the interior of the continent, were first crossed by Europeans in 1813. The town of Bathurst
SECTION 20
#1732931275665990-575: The 21st century class actions for these " stolen wages ", as they have been dubbed, have taken place in Queensland, Western Australia and the NT. In 1911, rural stockmen received only £1 to £1/5/- a week plus keep after a decision was made by the Arbitration Court. The award of 1918 increased wages by up to 50 per cent to a minimum of £2/13/-. Head stockmen received about £1 extra. Stockmen now work under
1035-602: The Rabbit-Proof Fence , documenting the case. In June 2009, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation produced a telemovie, 3 Acts of Murder , based on the Murchison Murders, starring Robert Menzies as Upfield and Luke Ford as Snowy Rowles. It was directed by filmmaker Rowan Woods . Stockman (Australia) In Australia , a stockman (plural stockmen ) is a person who looks after
1080-426: The artistic creators of the opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, were also the co-creators of the musical, The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular . A further tribute to the stockman derives from the fact that for a number of years the promotions of the Sydney Royal Easter Show have referred to it as "The Great Australian Muster". In Longreach , Queensland, a museum and memorial called
1125-510: The bread supply has been exhausted. It is made with self-raising flour, salt and water and is usually cooked in a camp oven over the embers of a fire. In these areas the days in the saddle are often very long as the cattle have to be mustered and then driven to yards or a paddock where they can be held. After the stock have been yarded they may then require drafting prior to branding, shearing or whatever procedures are required or have been planned. The employment of mounted workers to tend livestock
1170-410: The cattle can be branded and also transported from these yards if required. Lambs are also often marked in temporary yards as a means of reducing infection. A number of equestrian sports are particularly associated with stockmen. These include campdrafting , team penning , tentpegging and polocrosse , as well as working dog trials. The sports are played in local and state competitions and are often
1215-687: The death of a stockman, the anonymous "Wrap me up with my stockwhip and blanket" and Rolf Harris 's " Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport ". Through the 19th and early 20th centuries the writing of balladic poetry was a favoured form of literary expression, and the public recitation of such pieces remains a feature of Australian folk festivals . The majority of the most popular ballads deal with rural subject and many are specifically about stockmen. These works include Adam Lindsay Gordon 's Bush Ballads and Galloping Rhymes which includes " The Sick Stockrider ", and, most famously, Banjo Paterson 's epic poem The Man from Snowy River . "The Man from Snowy River"
1260-555: The employment of women in the cattle camps. Aboriginal people often received only food and clothing to retain their labour, until they began to be paid a small cash wage in the 1950s and 1960s, much less than their white counterparts. In 1966, Vincent Lingiari led Gurindji workers on the Wave Hill walk-off , a strike on the large Vesteys cattle station in the Northern Territory , which brought about wage parity two years later. In
1305-420: The ends of the 18 carat ring. Normally he would have rectified this error but had been too busy to do so. The result was a distinctive mark on the ring from the different-coloured solder, which made the ring unique and identifiable as Carron's. (Upfield used the "mended ring" device in a later novel The New Shoe .) Evidence was provided to the court regarding Carron's items, Rowles's behaviour, his knowledge of
1350-405: The fictional murder method, and the various lies that Rowles had told about his movements. There seemed to be no doubt that Rowles had committed three murders. On 19 March 1932, after two hours of deliberation, the jury found him guilty of the wilful murder of Louis Carron. Asked if he had anything to say, Rowles said "Only this. I have been found guilty of a crime that has never been committed." He
1395-441: The lands for wheat , in 1907. The region was surveyed in 1909 and then opened for selection in 1910 with crops being planted shortly afterward. Two brothers, Albert and Frederick Ellison, built a well on the southern end of the township in 1909. The well acted as a permanent source of water to the settlers. The well, named Billum Billum well, was built from locally occurring timber such as gimlet and salmon gum . In 1932
Murchison Murders - Misplaced Pages Continue
1440-474: The local lock-up in Dalwallinu . Rowles was sent back to prison, giving Manning more time to investigate. While awaiting trial, Rowles attempted to commit suicide. Rowles was tried only for the murder of Carron. Following the murders of Ryan and Lloyd, Rowles is believed to have strictly followed Upfield's fictional method for the disposal of evidence, leaving a total lack of physical evidence that could be used in
1485-428: The meeting and discussion were later used as evidence in court to prove that Rowles was aware of the method. In December 1929, Rowles was in the company of two men, James Ryan and George Lloyd. On 8 December 1929, Rowles, Ryan and Lloyd departed from Camel Station. Several days later, Ritchie arrived at Camel Station. He said he had met a prospector named James Yates. Yates had told Ritchie that he had seen Rowles driving
1530-439: The method he proposed to hide a murder. They found the remains of Carron's body at the 183-mile (295 km) hut on the rabbit-proof fence. Among other items found was a wedding ring that would later be positively linked to Carron by both a New Zealand jeweller and Carron's wife. Detective-Sergeant Manning was sent to arrest Rowles, and immediately recognised him as John Thomas Smith, a burglary convict who had escaped in 1928 from
1575-514: The mustering and surveillance of livestock and their watering points. Cattle mustering in the Outback and the eastern ‘Falls’ country of the Great Dividing Range often necessitates days camping out in isolated areas and sleeping in a swag (bedroll) on the ground with limited food choices. Damper is a traditional type of bread that was baked by stockmen during colonial times, or nowadays when
1620-476: The performance opened with 121 stockmen and women riding Australian Stock Horses in a tribute to the Australian pastoral heritage and the importance of the stock horse in Australia's heritage. The pastoral tribute took place to music written by Bruce Rowland , who composed a special Olympics version of the main theme for the 1982 movie " The Man from Snowy River ". David Atkins and Ignatius Jones , who were
1665-483: The problem to him. All of Upfield's friends and colleagues were soon aware of Upfield's difficulties with his plot. On 5 October 1929, Upfield, Ritchie, Rowles, the son of an inspector of the fence, and a north boundary rider for the fence, were all present at the Camel Station homestead when the murder method for Upfield's book was again discussed. Upfield said that Rowles knew of the murder method before this date, but
1710-445: The remains into the wind. But Upfield had a problem, as he believed the method was too efficient and would leave his character Bony (a fictional detective) with no way to detect or prove the murder. Upfield challenged Ritchie to find a flaw in the method and offered him £1 if he could. Ritchie, however, was unable to do so. The plot of the novel hinged on this point. One day Ritchie met Rowles, whom Upfield also knew. Ritchie mentioned
1755-420: The supervision of operations that includes feeding, mating, managing artificial breeding and embryo transfer programs; managing vehicle and equipment maintenance; repair and maintenance of property structures; supervising and training of staff. Mustering is done with horses or vehicles including all-terrain vehicles (ATV), and some of the large cattle stations use helicopters or light aircraft to assist in
1800-458: The top and fitting roll and bull bars for bull or buffalo catching. Some stations are now making changes for the employment of women by building female living quarters and installing hydraulic cattle crushes etc. Transportable steel yards are now often carried on a truck to an area where stock-work can be completed without having to drive stock long distances to permanent yards. Stockmen and their horses can be unloaded at these yards and then
1845-457: The town's primary economic activities. The town is the first town on the Wildflower Way, a tourist route that stretches north to Mullewa . The town has an elevation of 335 metres (1,099 ft). At the 2016 census , Dalwallinu had a population of 699. The name of the town comes from a now unknown Aboriginal word that means "place to wait a while" or possibly "good lands" . Traditionally,
Murchison Murders - Misplaced Pages Continue
1890-607: Was founded shortly after, and potential farmers moved westward, and settled on the land, many of them as squatters . The rolling country, ideal for sheep and the large, often unfenced, properties necessitated the role of the shepherd to tend the flocks. Early stockmen were specially selected, highly regarded men owing to the high value and importance of early livestock. All stockmen need to be interested in animals, able to handle them with confidence and patience, able to make accurate observations about them and enjoy working outdoors. Aboriginal Australians were good stockmen who played
1935-518: Was noticed. The area at the time had a large transient population. For a man to appear or disappear from the area was in no way otherwise remarkable. It was not until police detectives started investigating Carron's disappearance that they learned that Lloyd and Ryan were also missing. Like Carron, they had last been seen in Rowles' company. Upfield's attempts to find a plot for his novel The Sands of Windee were well known. The detectives soon learned about
1980-431: Was sentenced to death. His attempts to appeal his conviction were rejected. Rowles was hanged at Fremantle Prison on 13 June 1932. Upfield's novel The Sands of Windee (1931) featured the method for hiding a murder. He later wrote a book about the events related to Rowles' actions, including his being charged and convicted of murder, in his novel The Murchison Murders . In 1993, author Terry Walker wrote Murder on
2025-471: Was to become the source of three movies, one in 1920, and another in 1982 to be followed by a sequel. A TV series followed called Banjo Paterson's The Man from Snowy River . In 2002 the story was shown as live musical theatre called The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular . The inspiration for this musical performance came from the Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, when
#664335