Robert Christison (pastoralist)
Encyclopedia
Robert Christison was a pastoralist in Australia
.
Christison was born in Foulden
, Berwickshire
, Scotland
, sixth son of Alexander Christison, Church of Scotland
minister, and his first wife Helen, née Cameron. His uncle was Sir Robert Christison
.
Christison was educated at the local school and then migrated to Victoria
in 1852 along with his brother, Tom. Initially Christinson worked in Werribee, Victoria
for the Chirnside
bothers. He was a fine horseman and an amateur jockey. Christinson thought of joining the Burke and Wills expedition
but instead explored the interior with an aboriginal
boy as far as southern Queensland
. He shipped horses and himself to Bowen
in northern Queensland. From there he travelled inland for an area discovered by William Landsborough which was regarded as goos sheep country. Christinson grazed sheep there and, later, cattle. In 1870 he drove 7000 sheep over 1500 miles (2,414 km) to Victoria.
In 1881, Christison became interested in the frozen meat trade, he went to London and formed the Australian Company Limited, which was granted a lease at Poole Island near Bowen
in northern Queensland. This was the first export frozen meatworks in Queensland. However a cyclone devastated the area on 30 January 1884 and the company did not recover.
Christinson sank dams on his properties and by 1900 had 40,000 cattle and 500 thoroughbred horses.
Christison published two pamphlets: United Australia and Imperial Federation (London, 1888) and The Flocks & Herds of Queensland (Brisbane, 1896).
In 1910, Christison rejoined his family in Scotland after selling his interests. He died in Foulden in 1915.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Christison was born in Foulden
Foulden
Several settlements share the name Foulden:*Foulden, Norfolk, England*Foulden, Scottish Borders, Scotland*Foulden, Queensland, Australia...
, Berwickshire
Berwickshire
Berwickshire or the County of Berwick is a registration county, a committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, and a lieutenancy area of Scotland, on the border with England. The town after which it is named—Berwick-upon-Tweed—was lost by Scotland to England in 1482...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, sixth son of Alexander Christison, Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
minister, and his first wife Helen, née Cameron. His uncle was Sir Robert Christison
Robert Christison
Sir Robert Christison, 1st Baronet FRSE FRCSE FRCPE was a Scottish toxicologist and physician who served as president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh , as president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh , and as president of the British Medical Association .Christison was...
.
Christison was educated at the local school and then migrated to Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
in 1852 along with his brother, Tom. Initially Christinson worked in Werribee, Victoria
Werribee, Victoria
Werribee is a city in Melbourne, Australia, 32 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Wyndham. At the 2006 Census, Werribee had a population of 36,641. Statistically, Werribee is considered part of Greater Melbourne.Werribee is...
for the Chirnside
Thomas Chirnside
Thomas Chirnside was an Australian pastoralist who developed much of what would become western Melbourne.Thomas Chirnside was born in Berwickshire, Scotland, the elder son of Robert Chirnside and Mary Fairs. His father was also a farmer....
bothers. He was a fine horseman and an amateur jockey. Christinson thought of joining the Burke and Wills expedition
Burke and Wills expedition
In 1860–61, Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills led an expedition of 19 men with the intention of crossing Australia from Melbourne in the south to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north, a distance of around 3,250 kilometres...
but instead explored the interior with an aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
boy as far as southern Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. He shipped horses and himself to Bowen
Bowen, Queensland
Bowen is a town on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Bowen had a population of 7,484.-Geography:Bowen is located on the north-east coast of Australia, at exactly twenty degrees south of the equator. In fact, the twentieth parallel crosses the main street...
in northern Queensland. From there he travelled inland for an area discovered by William Landsborough which was regarded as goos sheep country. Christinson grazed sheep there and, later, cattle. In 1870 he drove 7000 sheep over 1500 miles (2,414 km) to Victoria.
In 1881, Christison became interested in the frozen meat trade, he went to London and formed the Australian Company Limited, which was granted a lease at Poole Island near Bowen
Bowen, Queensland
Bowen is a town on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Bowen had a population of 7,484.-Geography:Bowen is located on the north-east coast of Australia, at exactly twenty degrees south of the equator. In fact, the twentieth parallel crosses the main street...
in northern Queensland. This was the first export frozen meatworks in Queensland. However a cyclone devastated the area on 30 January 1884 and the company did not recover.
Christinson sank dams on his properties and by 1900 had 40,000 cattle and 500 thoroughbred horses.
Christison published two pamphlets: United Australia and Imperial Federation (London, 1888) and The Flocks & Herds of Queensland (Brisbane, 1896).
In 1910, Christison rejoined his family in Scotland after selling his interests. He died in Foulden in 1915.