One of the most prominent NSW pastoralists of the latter 20th century, Bryce (B.G.L.) Killen, has died aged 96.
Mr Killen, who had been in a nursing home at Castle Hill for the past two years, was the last surviving participant in the Killen family's pastoral companies which at one time controlled a string of properties across NSW including his longtime base, Moonagee at Nyngan.
With his late brother Darrel, and father Geoff, he was part of the G.L. Killen and Sons partnership which at its peak produced 5000 bales of wool, until brought undone in the early 1990s by the collapse of the reserve price scheme.
The family had also been closely involved in two other companies,, Marra Developments and Pastoral Development Holdings (PDH), which in their day owned some of the best known station properties in NSW and Queensland.
Mr Killen himself was the driving force behind the ambitious but ultimately unsuccessful Northern Agricultural Development Corporation, a public company floated in the early 1970s to produce beef and sorghum at Willeroo in the Northern Territory.
An experienced pilot himself, he also built a successful helicopter charter business, at its peak involving a fleet of more than 50 helicopters, which pioneered aerial mustering in the Top End.
A full obituary for Bryce Killen will appear in due course.
