Douglas, Gerald Stapleton ^4,5,6

   User ID: 92.

  General Notes:

Nelia Ponds, racehorses
From G.S. Douglas to Keith Shanklin Douglas (his son)

"To Keith Shanklin Douglas
Nelia Ponds, Nelia, North Queensland 1933

In the year 1892 your grandfather Morton Douglas travelled overland to Longreach from Winton where he tookup 2 small selections 7 miles east of Longreach. We all arrived at that there little town of Longreach the day the great western railway was opened from Rockhampton. Longreach at that time consisted of one hotel run by T. Pyne, a post ofice, a butcher shop, and a few other buildings. I was then 10 years old. Your grandfather did a little cultivation, ran a dairy in which all of us boys assisted. He also grew a couple of crops of wheat successfully, of which he made into chaff. Three years later he went to a place called Coomoola and ran a dairy on a large scale, made cheese and butter. We seven boys worked hard, also did your aunt Ada and grandmother. In those days it was an uphill climb to the ladder of success and under great deprivation and misery. In the year 1897 your grandfather sold out both places and took up 4 blocks of small selections on a place called Katherine Creek. The selections ranged about 2500 acres each. One block was held in the name of your uncle Ernest at that time just eligible to hold a homestead as to age limit. We all started to finance these properties...and with a few pounds left we managed to buy 6000 old ewes from a man called Parsons at 6/- per head and wool in those days sold 6 pence per pound. Years went on and in 1900 I took a job on wages at 20 shillings per week on Manaroo. Of that amount I saved 30 pound per year and handed it over to my parents each year. Two years later just 20 years old I took the management of Artesian Downs for Mr. C.J. Barboson for a period of about 4 years. Successfully pulled the property out of debt allowing the owner to dispose of it after I left (it was there where I met with a great accident by breaking my leg and crawling 2 miles and going in by coach 60 miles - a rough and painful trip).

In that year I went home to Longreach and enticed one of the brothers to come and inspect Majuba which was on the market for 1000 pounds unstocked. After a lot of trouble I got my brother George to come back with me and both made a thorough inspection and decided to make every effort to buy the place. It was then agreed that we four form a partenership, of Ernest, George, Gerald and Archie Douglas, and by all throwing in our spare cash with the pool and selling our Woodstock property on Katherine Creek. Ernest and Archie brought the plant along and on their way over bought 2500 ewes from Kynuna station paying cash for them at 5 shillings per head, leaving no money to pay for the new property Majuba. I was told to arrange finance with the Q.N. Bank Richmond by giving mortgage over the newly bought sheep and selections to the extent of 1200 pounds. This placed the Douglas Bros. on a sound footing on the Flinders. Ernest was appointed manager of the Firm whislt we three went on the road droving. Put at one time three driving plants on the roads. This resulted in the desire for another property to be managed by George. Ernest and George inspected a place called Waterview in the desert and approved of it. I then went to Townsville and arranged finance with Dalgety and Co. to the extent of 9000 pound, stocked the place with sheep leaving George to manage whislt Archie and I carried on the droving paying in all the bulk of what we earned, until 1913 when we both went to Brisbane on holiday where I got married, and returned home to spend 6 months at Majuba and Strathfinella, then I went in seek of a home of my own. After inspecting several properties decided on a place called Knapdale, giving 9500 pound with not many sheep. We settled down a happy couple when the Great War broke out. Your uncle Archie was called away in that year and returned when the great conflict was called off.

In the 5 years the market dropped and rose. We then decided to dissolve the partnership. Waterview was sold at a profit and then later on also Knapdale. Ernest would not agree to sell Majuba so we formed a new firm and called it the Douglas Company and retained the Firm also of Douglas Bros., making a few thousand under the new Company, and then managed to dissolve partnership. But during the period of the new company we bought a property called Osbert, near Julia Creek. The dissolution of Douglas Bros. was arranged, Ernest taking over Majuba. George - Osbert, Archie and myself bought a portion of Nelia Ponds, known as Nelia west, giving 7/6- per acre. I took management of Nelia Ponds for Barnes and Johnston in 1919 and Archie managed Nelia West in 1920. In 1923 I inspected Euthella for GS and A Douglas. Made a good deal. In 1924 I bought the balance of Nelia Ponds from Barnes and Johnston and buying into parteners W.R.Johnston, G.A. Francis, and calling the Firm the Nelia Pastoral Company of which I took over the management. Archie the overship of the property. Unfortunately met with 7 years droughts, great fall in market and world's depression. We have carried 8000 cattle in 1920 here and 20,000 sheep in Barnes and johnston's time and we then put the property mostly under sheep, bringing the number up to 32,000 and 5,000 cattle. This is now 1933 making a 13 year management for me of the present property under a most dreadful time, hardships and worries.

Your father

G.S.Douglas.

----- Original Message ----- From: Doug Turner <mailto:djturner@bigpond.net.au> To: Douglas Family Mailing List <mailto:DouglasFamily@orthodoc.com.au> Sent: Friday, June 27, 2003 9:50 PM Subject: Douglas Family: Douglas Family

At 16/06/2003 02:44 PM, Jill wrote:
...Regarding the property of "Nelia Ponds".The main house was built out of cedar & for many years it was the showplace of the district.It is situated about 5 km from the Rail Head of Nelia & the actual property begins at the railway line& stretches
to the Flinders River.At one period when the Flinders River was in flood my father had to swim across it to deliver the mail to the other side to the properties on that side of the river.Up until the age of 5 I had lived at this property with my mother & father. My father was living & working with his brother Gerald until not long before his death when he had to come to the Greenslopes Repatriation Hospital where he died in 1953.

Very interesting. When I was working in Julia Creek in the 1970's I visited Nelia Ponds and met an "oldish" lady there who remembered some of the Douglas family.

Regarding the photo at <http://www.orthodoc.com.au/family/images/mortonfamily.jpg> , can you tell me any thing about it. Beryl sent me the scanned version of it, but apart from the writing on it I have no idea what it is about or even where she got it from. Do you know who Evie, Keith and Gerald might be, who took the photo etc ?
I have taken the liberty of adding your comments about you childhood at Nelia Ponds to the comments adjacent to the photo at <http://www.orthodoc.com.au/family/douglas.htm> Let me know if this is not OK.

Doug


Dear Beryl,
Yes I do have a photo of the property at Nellie Ponds.I will get a copy made & send it to you by Australia Post.In May,1999 my husband & I went on a road tour of Western Queensland & called to"Nellia Ponds" & I did take a photo of the house which is about 100 years old.The property was running sheep at one time but it had been slowly converted to all cattle - Braham Droughtmaster cross.After Uncle Gerald died,Aunt Evelyn,his second wife,would only stock black cattle & would always get the best price at the markets which annoyed the other graziers in the district.The house is now a dilapidated looking place.The stockmen pulled up the floor boards & burnt them in their campfire despite all the wood laying around the place.It seems very sad to see the place in such disrepair.Evelyn died of a bowel cancer in Townsville about 1993.I'm not terribly sure if that is the correct year but I do know that she left $3 million to be divided between 5 charities as she had no surviving relatives.
After a week or so not going near my computer,I too received multiple copies of all e-mail letters on the Mailing List.
Kind regards
Jill
----- Original Message ----- From: Beryl Turner <mailto:bturner@occmed.com.au> To: Douglas Family Mailing List <mailto:DouglasFamily@orthodoc.com.au> Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2003 12:17 PM Subject: Douglas Family: Douglas Family
Jill, Do you have any photos of the house? Is it still there and is it still lived in?
Beryl
----- Original Message ----- From: Jill A Hogan <mailto:jhoga6@bigpond.net.au> To: Douglas Family Mailing List <mailto:douglasfamily@orthodoc.com.au> Sent: Monday, June 16, 2003 2:44 PM Subject: Douglas Family: Douglas Family
Dear Doug,
Thank you for re-sending the text on the Julia Creek Dunnart.I had read somewhere that it was an endangered native animal & was found only in the Julia Creek area.I too have been in touch with the Queensland Museum & was told exactly what you have been told.I also located some information on the Internet which states that "the Julia Creek Dunnart was first documented by Western science in 1931 but not recognised as a full species until 1979".The Internet address for the site is www.animalinfo.org/species/smindoug.htm <http://www.animalinfo.org/species/smindoug.htm>
I bet somewhere along the line that Athol Douglas is a distant relation.
Regarding the property of "Nelia Ponds".The main house was built out of cedar & for many years it was the showplace of the district.It is situated about 5 km from the Rail Head of Nelia & the actual property begins at the railway line& stretches
to the Flinders River.At one period when the Flinders River was in flood my father had to swim across it to deliver the mail to the other side to the properties on that side of the river.Up until the age of 5 I had lived at this property with my mother & father when they decided to separate & I moved with my mother to Charters Towers.My father was living & working with his brother Gerald until not long before his death when he had to come to the Greenslopes Repatriation Hospital where he died in 1953.
Kind regards,
Jill

⁶

  Noted events in his life were:

• Occupation: Grazier.

• Occupation: wages job at 20 shillings per week, 1900, Manoroo Station. ¹⁵ "Saved 30 pound per year and handed it over to my parents"

• Occupation: Management, 1902, Artesian Downs. ¹⁵ Owner Mr. Mr. C.J. Brabozon - for about 4 years. Successfully pulled it out of debt allowing the owner to dispose of it after I left, (It was here where I met with a great accident by breaking my leg and crawling 2 miles and going by coach 60 miles a rough and painful trip).

• Land, 1906, Majuba Station. The Douglas Brothers (Company) was formed by the 4 brothers, Gerald, George, Ernest, and Archie

• Land: Nelia West Owned with George Osbert, and Archie, 1920, Nelia West.

• Land, 1923, Euthella. Owned by GS and A Douglas

• Land, 1924, Nelia Ponds. ¹⁵ "Unfortunately met with 7 years drought and the worlds worst depression. We have carried 8,000 cattle in 1920 here and 20,000 sheep in Barnes and Johnstones time and we then put the property mostly under sheep bringing the number up to 32,000 and 5000 cattle. This now 1933 making a 13 year management for me under a most dreadful time, hardships and worries". GS Douglas

Gerald married Living

Gerald next married Beatrice Josephine MOYNIHAN on 17 Sep 1913 in Brisbane, Qld, Aus ^6,15.^,239 (Beatrice Josephine MOYNIHAN was born on 15 Jul 1890 in Toowoomba, Qld, Aus,^6,243 died before May 1947 in Qld, Aus ^6,244 and was buried in Hughenden, Qld ^6,245.)