1896
Torrie Lodge
Torrie Lodge is a very charming home indeed, where Mr. Anthony Tindale has resided for the last thirty years, and erected the present solid residence, which, I understand, is in as good a state of preservation to-day as when the foundation-stone was laid. Additions of late years have been made to the building, the increase in family having necessitated it, so that one wing - ten years old - is comparatively new, whilst older portion is thrice that age. The composition, however, being of lime and freestone, there the is no striking aspect of modernity about any portion of the house, and taken en bloc Torrie Lodge presents that desirable sere and yellow look so pleasing to one who loves ancient harmony in modern architecture1
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The high-class cattle which have been bred here are all the result of Bylong blood in the first instance, and have earned a good reputation wherever they have been sent. Queensland buyers, as a rule, make special journeys to this part to choose the cattle themselves and can generally be supplied with what they require. The day unfortunately has gone by when an owner could sell his bulls to advantage in this colony, receiving perhaps, as much as twenty guineas for calves, that now-a-days might not bring half that amount. The supply has long since overtaken the demand, and breeders have become discouragcd in consequence.
In other branches of stock, Mr. Tindale has also made a name, especially in connection with good coaching horses, the progeny at Torrie Lodge having been sired by Lord Kembla, a handsome brown horse with black points.
It is a pity to see so fertile a spot as this destitute of any great amount of cultivation, nothing being grown beyond what will just suffice for home use. In proof of the fertility of the soil, it may be stated that the owner of this place has seen oats attain a height of 7 feet, cleanly showing that the soil must be possessed of extra strong properties. Portions of the estate have been sold from time to time to selectors, and have realized satisfactory prices. One of these settlers, Dale by name; purchased 4000 acres at 22s Gd, (c.p.), and 35s (freehold). Another is Davis, whose hard working characteristics have proved him to be a very desirable neighbour, and who has gone in on rather a large scale for fattening and breeding cattle, besides putting extensive areas under the plough. These are the stamp of yeomen who help to send the colony along, and give backbone to the agricultural classes.
Touching the live subject of land taxation, Mr. Tindale, who is an out and out freetrader, is inclined to the opinion, that the present system of levying on the squatting community will subsequently be the means of splitting up our large estates and leasing land to tenants, who in a measure will lighten the burden that landowners now have to bear. In other words the lessee will pay the tax. This is by no means unlikely, for quite recently Mr. Vincent Dowling, of Rylstone, has been endeavouring to procure suitable tenants, with no other reason - presumably - than to relieve him of the onus of taxation. All is fair in love and politics, and who shall blame Mr. Dowling for looking after Number One?
Before quitting Torrie Lodge I had my curiosity, at length satisfied by seeing Mr. Tindale give an exhibition of his powers as a water-finder by means of the divining-rod, a subject mentioned in a previous article. Our coup de main took place in one of the paddocks where water in some part was believed to exist owing to a well-having been sunk in an orchard some distance off with good results. The 'rod' - so called - is simply a long forked stick, the prongs of which are held in either hand, so that the apex may just touch the hat's rim. Mr. Tindale having arranged it so, proceeded to walk slowly, with hands firmly set across the paddock, whilst I scrutinised him like ahawk in case he was trying to 'have' me2
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The fall in cattle may be said to have reduced Torrie Lodge from a state of affluence to one of bankruptcy: a sad fact, which has made the whole countryside sympathise with this estimable and popular family3
1899
1 April 1899
Bankruptcy Court.
The following voluntary sequestrations were filed: Anthony Nesbit Tindale, Torrie Lodge, Bylong, grazier out of business4
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1900
27 February 1900
A Valuable Property for Sale.
On Tuesday, March 20th, Messrs Crossing and Cox will offer by auction "Torrie Lodge," Bylong, a valuable grazing property, comprising 3063 acres, A large area is suitable for cultivation, and the residence and outbuildings are most handy5
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23 March 1900
Sale of Torrie Lodge.
There was a good attendance of buyers at Messrs. Crossing and Cox's rooms on Tuesday, when Torrie Lodge, a famous Bylong grazing property, was submitted to auction. After spirited bidding, Mr. H. C. White became the purchaser at £48006
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1909
13 May 1909
An important auction sale will be held at Bylong on 29th May, commencing at 11 a.m., when Mr. N. P. Myers, of Wollar, will submit the household furniture and effects of Mrs. K. Tindall, of Torry Lodge. Particulars are advertised7
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1913
26 November 1913
Torrie Lodge.
OVER the way, at Torrie Lodge, we saw those two distinguished-looking Englishmen, Sunshine and Charlemagne II. It is a hardy thing to say that it is doubtful if there is a better-looking horse anywhere than Charlemagne II. At any rate, I would not object to having my money on him for perfection of head and neck. I never saw a more beautifully chiselled head or a better gullet, or a gamer-looking horse. He is always on the go, dancing and prancing when out in the open; but a 17-year-old boy leads him about and looks after him, and can do anything at all with him, for he is a most amenable, sensible horse, fond of play, but without an atom of vice. He is of the best St, Simon class, and is as prepotent as the proverbial Valparaiso donkey. Charlemagne II. was imported to New Zealand by Mr. J. B. Reid, who sold off his stud a couple of years ago, and the Thompson brothers crossed over to the Dominion and gave 2300 guineas for him. If they had the buying to do tomorrow 5000 guineas would not stop them, for the horse is giving them every satisfaction, and they are just crazy about his foals. Charlemagne (8) is by St. Simon from Perfect Dream, by Morion, a wonderful stayer in his time and the best Barcaldine horse the English turf knew. A combination of St. Simon and Barcaldine on the Ayr Laddie, Lochiel, Trenton, and Sir Hercules blood collected by the Thompsons with such care during the past 30 years should indeed be productive of great results. Sunshine is their latest acquisitions Having the blood of Flying Fox in Cooltrim, the Musket and Fisherman in Royal Artillery, a splendid St. Simon individual in Charlemagne, and the most successful Galopin horse bar St. Simon in Grafton, and, of course, a large number of picked fillies of Hampton strain by Ayr Laddie, the Thompsons were anxious for a stallion by England's latest success, Sundridge, and fortunately Dr. Ewan Frazer interested himself and secured them Sunshine, an exceptionally handsome horse and a beautifully bred one, by Sundridge out of Sweet Notes. Sunshine is a dapple brown horse, and since he has acquired flesh he looks much like what pictures show us Sundridge to be. Though the end of the season is yet some distance off, Sunshine's work is almost done. He is a most vigorous horse.
Some Fine Foals.
THE only other direct Flying Fox horse except Cooltrim I know of in Australia is The Welkin, whose stock created such a sensation in the two-year-old races down south recently. The first Cooltrim foal I noticed was a bay filly out of Langrel, a neat, small sister to Sylvanite. The foal is a strapping filly, a bay, with Flying Fox markings, and a credit to the sire. Much as I would like to, it will be impossible for me to speak of every foal I saw; therefore I will touch only on those I liked best. One of the first mares we saw in the paddock was Malt Extract, by Maltster, whom Mr. J. B. Bettington has sent to Cooltrim, and if she has a foal by him the young ster will certainly have his share of Galopin; but no more than has a brown colt by Cooltrim out of Lady Travers, a sister to Dividend, by Simmer (son of St. Simon) from our old friend Lady Trenton. This colt is absolutely perfect, and as fine a foal as I am likely to see this season, despite his inbreeding and the fact of his dam being physically deformed; she is horribly crippled, with a frightfully bent, foreleg. She was born that way, but her foal is a beauty. With her we saw Xantippe, a light little mare and the dam, no less, of our greatest steeplechaser, Grafnax. Here, too, we saw a foal that we pondered over. It was a lively two-days-old chestnut filly with two white hind legs and a white face - in fact, every inch a Blair Athol. The foal is by Ayr Laddie out of The Intended, by Grafton from a mare by Marvellous. Grafton, Marvellous, and Ayr Laddie's sire belong to dark breeds; but his foal throws to the bottom line of Ayr Laddie's pedigree - Cestus, by Blair Athol.
Lochiel Mares.
AMONG the many beautiful Lochiel mares I saw was Jennie Moore, who won numerous races and began by beating Spark in a produce stakes at Mudgee. Subsequently the late Mr. H. C. White sent Spark to England and won half-a-dozen good races with him. Jennie Moore has a lovely bay colt by Cooltrim. Wahine, the dam of the Sydney Cup winner Vavasor; Lady Trenville, the dam of Jolly Beggar; Peru's dam, Silver Coin; a little old short-tailed pony mare, Disgrace, the dam of Duke of Grafton and many other good ones; and Dimension, a bay; white-faced mare by Positano, who is very like her mother, that grand Trenton mare Symmetry, are all dry this year. Among the many visitors to the stallions is an aptly-named Padlock mare, Pretty Nell, owned by Mrs. Moran, of Victoria. She has a pretty Charlemagne filly at her side. Vira, a very well-bred young mare by Wallace (3) from No Fear (3), by Gossoon (3), whom Mr. Herbert Thompson picked up as a bargain in Victoria, is sustaining a splendid big-boned colt by Grafton (3), son of Galopin (3). Crystonais is only a small mare, but she has a remarkably fine, well-developed Cooltrim colt; and Royal Silver's dam, Silver, can show a lovely square rumped filly by Ayr Laddie. Cooltrim has stamped his solidity on a big, thick, white -faced colt out of Dovedale, a small, neat, but high-qualitied mare; and Galeria, an other Victorian bargain, has produced a splendid colt to Grafton, who was under a shadow for a year or two; but this season and last his stock came in the old style, and I understand we will see a few good yearlings by him in April. I saw many Cooltrim and Grafton youngsters that attracted attention, but must pass them over for a time, though there is reason to enlarge upon the Cooltrim - Applewoman filly and a Cooltrim — Slumber colt, and a Stockwell chestnut filly by Cooltrim out of Acushla, a sister to Dewey, by Lochiel.
Old Friends.
PASSING through a few dry mares on our way to Torrie Lodge to see the Charlemagnes, we dropped a card on Comely, fat and happy, who has palled in with Gold Dust, the dam of Silver Light, a thick, low-set yellow-bay mare, but a very shy breeder. Old Lady Trenton is showing her age, and is almost at the end of her usefulness. She is but a shadow of the Lady Trenton we long ago saw win the Sydney Cup in such fine style, but she has left her mark on the annals of the turf with a Melbourne Cup winner, Lord Cardigan; a Champion Stakes winner, Dividend; a Caulfield Guineas winner, Strata Florida; and one of her daughters produced Lord Nolan, a Melbourne Cup winner. Lady Trenton is a quiet, reserved, timid mare, exceedingly feminine, and averse to boisterous company; and she gets along wonderfully well in paddock partnership with Jolly Beggar's half-sister, Levana, a similar soul. Those big, masculine mares and sisters, Hela and Lady Esme, beautiful models, by Grafton, are too aggressive to suit Lady Trenton's taste, and she holds aloof from them, but more so from Cagou's masterful dam. Tartar, a magnificent mare by Russley. She lost her Ayr Laddie foal prematurely, which, of course, is a serious loss to the Stud. The first of the Charlemagnes we dropped across at Torrie Lodge was, I think, about the best of the lot, a beautifully balanced and chiselled filly out of Lady Trenton's fine Grafton daughter, Lady Rylstone, winner of the Champagne Stakes and Oaks. All Lady Trenton's foals threw to their sires, and Lady Rylstone has followed her dam in this respect, for her filly is a true replica of Charlemagne. Miss Marionette, who has been well represented recently by her daughters Ayr Girl and Marissa, has a very fine Charlemagne filly.
Charlemagne Colts.
THE best of the Charlemagne colts, in my opinion, is a beautifully-turned bay colt out of Lady Grafton, a splendid daughter of Grafton, and dam of Sylvander. Here Charlemagne is actually stamped again, and the same shows in a colt out of Blue Badge, by Martini-Henry. Among all these beautiful Charlemagne foals, and an odd one by Cooltrim, was a shapely, confident bay colt, who appeared afraid of nothing. I learned he was by Dalmeny out of a mare named Armour, by Metal. It was her thirteenth successive foal, and she is adjudged in foal again to Charlemagne. I believe I was told she is owned by Mr. Tom Harris, of Holbrook, who sent his imported mare Cover Over to Sunshine, and Handsome to Sunshine. Cover Over has a filly by Cooltrim, and Handsome a filly by Ayr Laddie. Mr. Harris's splendid mare Neith is also a visitor to Sunshine. Neith, it will be remembered, is a daughter of Holbrook who won Mr. Harris several first class races, and he sold her for £2000 to go to India, whence she was sent to England and back to Australia for sale, and Mr. Harris bought her at auction in Melbourne. Neith combines the Lochiel, Goldsbrough, and Yattendon blood, and her mating with Sunshine strikes me as very appropriate.
Wakeful of the North.
SIVORI'S fine-looking dam, Cello, has a lovely Charlemagne filly, and Artemis, who always throws good looking stock, never produced a better foal than her filly by Cooltrim. Other Charlemagne foals that caught my eye are out of Lady Florence, Veronique, Lady Lochiel (dam of Crown Grant and Jennie Cameron), Marian Trenville, Airs and Graces, and Lady Trenton's Positano mare Lady Capulet, who throws to the sire. I really saw too much for a newspaper article, and cannot just now touch upon the Graftons; but they do not need any appreciation from me. The turf register tells their story. The only foal I have seen by Varco is at Torrie Lodge - a big, lengthy, high-qualitied colt out of Lady Royal, a Royal. Artillery mare, with whom Messrs. Thompson exchanged service with Messrs. Rous, of Biraganbil. Among the visitors was Messenger, a Holbrook mare and a Wakeful of North Queensland. Messenger is a nicely-turned black mare who won up north with all sorts of weights - I believe even up to 13 stone. Another excellent performer, Virtu, with an Ayr Laddie filly at her side, is on a visit to Sunshine, and looks well8
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