Merino memories

Such is the depth of available archive, some stories slip under the researchers gaze and might be consigned to the family memories if not for the curiosity of Merino aficionados.

One such aficionado is Arthur Wright, who, in his 95^th year, continues to proudly maintain the family Merino stud, Bibbenluke, at Merriwa, which was founded by his grandfather Arthur Henry Wright at Bombala when the stud was named Tombong.

The Wright family have a long history with pastoral settlement in Australia.

A native of Derbyshire, England, James Wright came to New South Wales in 1833 to recover his health and he, his brother William and John Lanyon squatted on land near the Murrumbidgee River.

In 1835, they purchased several adjoining blocks in what is now the Australian Capital Territory and they were allocated 15 convicts to farm the land.

The Lanyon Homestead named by James Wright for his friend was the head station for the squatting adventures

A stroke of luck occurred as they were establishing their squatting run when James was able to purchase 2000 ewes from the Macarthur flocks at Camden.

His great grandson Arthur said John Macarthur had recently died and the estate trustees sold the sheep, which were infected with scabby mouth, as they "thought they were selling rubbish sheep".

"But a convict knew how to treat the sheep and cure the scabby mouth and he came with the sheep," Arthur said. "That flock set the brothers up on Lanyon."

It was unfortunate but William Wright died from a shooting accident in 1837 and after John Lanyon returned to England, James Wright encountered financial difficulties and had to sell Lanyon in 1841.

He moved to the nearby Cuppacumbalong Station, and from that place members of his family moved south to the Monaro.

One son, Arthur Henry Wright (born in 1847 at Lanyon), purchased land near Delegate and in 1883 founded the Tombong Merino stud.

A draft of ewes were bought from A Lucian Faithfull at Springfield, Goulburn, and they were joined to rams selected from the Havilah stud at Mudgee and bred by HC White.

In 1891 Arthur Henry Wright imported a Merino ram 'Gadegast No 8' from the celebrated flock of Carl August Gadegast, Thal, near Oschatz, and regarded as amongst the best flocks in Saxony.

The pedigree of that ram is still in Arthur's possession and can be seen in the main photograph to the left.

In the Powerhouse Museum, among many thousands of samples of wool, is one from an unhoused stud Merino ewe bred in 1894 by Arthur H Wright.

Sired by Gadegast No 8 and from a dam sired by an imported Vermont ram, the ewe was aged two years and ten months.

The ewe was the champion in the clothing class at the NSW Sheep Breeders Association show in 1897 and her fleece measured 21.5micron, 4.3 Standard of Deviation, 96.4 pc Comfort Factor and with a staple of 50mm when tested in June 2007.

Norman E Wright (Arthur's father) purchased Bibbenluke Station and established the Bibbenluke Merino stud at Dalgety in 1927, on ewes and rams purchased from the Carlaminda stud, near Cooma.

In 1928 Norman bought his first ram from the Uardry stud at Hay, and bred by Neilson Mills.

In 1930, another Uardry-bred ram was selected. The ram was the winner of the two-tooth class at the Sydney Sheep Show and was not catalogued for sale.

"Somehow Dad was able to convince Neilson Mills to part with the ram," Arthur said.

"I don't know whether Dad paid for him or the ram was on loan, but he really set up the Bibbenluke stud."

Named 'The Optimist', and by Uardry 7.14, Arthur believes the ram is a brother to the 'Shilling Ram', Uardry 0.1.

So impressed was Neilson Mills by the progeny of The Optimist, in 1933 he bought a son and took him back to his Wahwoon stud at Hay.

Norman Wright had a lot of show success with his sheep, and perhaps the most prominent was the champion medium wool ewe at the Sydney Sheep Show in 1935.

She was beaten for the ewe grand championship by Lady Lorna, bred by Walter T Merriman, Merryville stud, Yass.

Arthur maintains an unregistered stud which are all descended from his father's sheep.