Abraham Bairstow, Sr.

THE REGISTER Saturday 20 June 1903 Page 4 NARRIDY, June 19- A social was held in the institute hall last night to bid farewell to Mr and Mrs A Bairstow, who with their daughters are about to leave for Western Australia, to join their sons, who have lately settled there. Mr Bairstow is over 70 years of age, and has resided here for nearly 30 years, engaged in farming pursuits. He was a practical gardener, and grew vegetables here which could not be surpassed for size and flavour anywhere in the state. He was a member of the local branch of the Agricultural Bureau, and will be much missed. The guest was presented with two walking sticks, one of which was given by Mr McVicker, and the other was subscribed for by the public as a token of esteem. Mr C F Smart, on behalf of the ladies, presented Mrs Bairstow with a teapot. Many complimentary speeches were made , and regret was expressed at parting with the Bairstow family. A dance followed.

THE REGISTER Thursday 12 June 1924 Page 3 ABRAHAM BAIRSTOW From A. T. SAUNDERS:- There died, 22/5/24, at Nippering, Western Australia, Abraham Bairstow, aged 91, a colonist of 83 years, and the early settlers around Redhill in the northern areas will remember him. In 1875 I first saw him and heard him sing the famous song, which I understood he had composed, in praise of the north of this State. I regret I can only recall the chorus:- "Where the turkey and the emu and the bounding kangaroo, are all running free in the north countree."

THE REGISTER Tuesday 17 June 1924 Page 11 ABRAHAM BAIRSTOW From JOHN S. TILBROOK:- A little more than 50 years ago the case of Kain v. Bairstow occupied the Adelaide Courts for some time. John Kain, of Little Dublin, near Nairne, sued Joseph Bairstow for damages. Bairstow's dog had killed some of Kain's sheep. I believe the case was very expensive, but I do not remember anything about it, except that while still a boy I saw the dog, stuffed over a doorway in the Adelaide Museum. I believe Kain won the case. I was told that it practically made a poor man of Mr. Bairstow, who before then was in a good position. Shortly after that (say), about 1870, the Broughton area was opened for selection, and Mr Bairstow, with a considerable number of Nairne pioneers, took up land in Red Hill, either that now owned by Messrs. Collins or very near to it. I think he was assisted by Mr J W Parsons, a leading business man in Nairne in those days. Bairstow went to Red Hill, and was successful in retrieving some of his lost financial position. My father was a member of the Loyal Flinders Lodge, I.O.O.F., and so, I think, was Joseph Bairstow, and I remember my father telling us "the day after the night before" which had been a lodge night, how Mr Joe Bairstow, on a visit to Nairne, had spoken in glowing terms of the north, as it was then generally known, and had sung a song which he had composed himself. The only words that I can recall are something to thei effect:-"If you want to get rich why don't you come where live the turkey and the emu and the jumping kangaroo." I have a keener recollection of the old chap treating the school children with a good supply of lollies. At the time it was reported that while he was in Adelaide on that trip he saw a poulterer's cart laden with poultry, and he bought the lot and ordered them to be taken to the Hospital. During the first years of Joseph Bairstow's sojourn in the Broughton his brother, Abraham, who at that time, lived near Mount Barker (the mount, not the town), used to go up north with a bullock team at harvest time wheat carting to Port Pirie. In or about 1874 he selected a block of land in the Hundred of Koolunga, near the old Koolunga Station, seven or eight miles north of Hope's Crossing, the site of Koolunga township now. Mrs Abraham Bairstow used to visit my mother when we lived in Nairne. Her mother was the widow of a Mr Moulton, who lost a hand while assissting to fire a salute on the arrival here of some person of high rank. About 22 years ago Abraham Bairstow lived here with his daughter and on-in-law, Mr and Mrs John Lindsay, who kept a store just opposite my house in the main street. After a while they disposed of the business, and went to Western Australia, and Mr Abraham Bairstow accompanied them. Early this year Mrs Lindsay told us that her father was still living. I did not know he had died until I saw Mr A T Saunders's paragraph in The Register. Perhaps Mr Saunders would look up some of the principle events mentioned above, especially the court case. I am writing entirely from memory. Mr Saunders says the early settlers around Red Hill will remember him. I think he means Joseph, as much later residents of Koolunga and Red Hill will easily remember Abraham, seeing that he lived there for 30 years, whereas Joseph died nearly 50 years ago.

THE REGISTER Friday 27 June 1924 Page 14 THE LATE MR BAIRSTOW From JOHN ALLEYN, sen- In The Register of June 17 I noticed that reference to the career and death of the late Abram Bairstow, of Nippering, Western Australia, was made by Mr John S Tilbrook and Mr Saunders. While many of the events referred to by them were substantially correct, the names of some of those directly concerned were misplaced, and, as the late Abram Bairstow was my step-brother, I would like to make a few corrections. In reference to the Court case referred to by Mr Tilbrook, Bairstow versus Kain, which was contested about the year 1865, it was Joseph Bairstow, not Abram, who was the interested person. About that period Kain's (who was then generally known as the King of Little Dublin) dog destroyed some of Joseph Bairstow's sheep, and this resulted in the costly law suit, which was eventually won by Bairstow, who had the skin of the dog preserved and stuffed and exhibited in Court as eveidence in proving the ownership of the dog. The dog was for many years afterwards an exhibit in the Adelaide Museum. I often regretted this unfortunate lawsuit, as prior to this incident my brother and Kain were the best of friends. The late Abram Bairstow was not interested in this case. Joseph Bairstow was also the composer of the song referring to the bounteous north which Mr Saunders mentions. My late step-brother Abram was probably one of the first settlers in the Mount Barker district, having bought land in that locality from the Crown about the year 1848; he later disposed of this property to our late respected Judge Boucat. Abram the selected land near narridy, in the north, which he farmed for a number of years, then sold out, and with his family, went over to Western Australia, purchasing land near Nippering, which some of his family farmed up to the time of his death.

THE REGISTER Monday 30 June 1924 Page 12 THE LATE MR BAIRSTOW From R Bairstow:-As I am a son of Abraham Bairstow I am writing to The Register in answer to a statement made by Mr A T Saunders and Mr John S Tilbrook concerning that funny old song composed and sung by Joseph Bairstow, "The turkey and the emu." Although from some of the later stock I am able to give the words of the chorus, which are as follow:- "Home, dear home, it's home I love to be, Where the turkey and the emu, and jumping kangaroos, They're all running free, in the north country, Yes, they're running free, in the north country." The tune goes with a swing, and is one of my favourites, especially on the accordion.

"I came here in 1839 in the ship Thomas Hareson we went to live in the old emigration square for about three months then my Father died Mother was left with four of us children then Mother went neruse in a weathebord Hospital my two Brothers went to woork at any thing they could get after a time my Mother married again a man named Alleyn then we went up to the uper sturt

we built a hut fenced in a garden and got a cow or two. My brothers and step Father went away to woork at the mines Mother and us smaller childers were left to manage at home my poor old Mother had to go to town every week and cary home flour and anything else that was wanted that was ten miles ther and ten miles back I used to go and meet Mother and my sister would mind the House wile I was away my sister went for the cow wile we was away and whon she came back the Hut was all on fire every thng we brought from England was burnt...one of our neghbous took us in is name was Joseph brown joh woscomb Hill pearc Brown and other neghbours came with there tools and soon put up a Hut for us."

The 1853 SA Electoral Roll for the Mount Barker district shows Abraham Bairstow as freehold, section 5016 Hd Macclesfield.

Abraham and Fanny's marriage entry ‎(no. 2337)‎ at ‎[Holy]‎ Trinity Church, Adelaide. Abraham Bairstow age 21, laborer, bachelor and Fanny Barbara Moulton age 19 spinster married by Licence by James Farrell. Witnesses R H Moulton and Anna Boyd Watters ‎[sic]‎ Moulton. ‎(All written in hand of the minister.)‎