Kidman was a very canny business entrepreneur, making a huge fortune out of red dirt land that not many others would touch. He looked after the land and his employees. A great Australian pioneer.
2 Great Australian people of the outback. Sir Sidney Kidman and R.M. Williams. I remember growing up and loving to look at the new R.M.W. Catalogue when they came in the post to our farms in South Australia back in the 60s. Went to Percy St. Prospect in Adelaide many times with my grandfather or Dad to buy.
In the 50's I got the RM's catalogue when I was a stock man in SA, Dreamed of buying the American stock saddle (that never eventuated). Still etched in my mind today .... "the shop at 5 Percy St, PROSPECT".
Same with me. I was a jackaroo on Brunette Downs in the early 1960s. Previously I had worked in a stockbroker office in Sydney but Brunette Downs changed my life. We had some remarkable people including Nick Campbell Jones who became head stickman. Prince William stayed there for a few days. We never knew who he really was until much later. Sadly he died in an aeroplane crash. Brunette Downs was owned by the Texan based King Ranch with backing from the Hordern and Myer family.
Hard but fair, Many men from that country were like this , I to started my career as a ringer under a hard man but he was fair and I admire the ground he walks on , Great old story.
A great documentary. It is quite sobering to live through a drought, where the hope of rain is always beyond grasp. It is an awful feeling and one I hope never to have to live through again. Imagine, 8 years without rain at the back of Bourke. And then one flood after another. A land of contrasts all right. But yes, Kidman was a visionary at a time when visions were possible to turn into realities. He would have a lean time trying to buy up land and water rights nowadays Thanks for sharing this story.
The kidman men were all loyal to him. Members of my grandmothers family worked for him in various jobs. She worked as amaid and also helped quieten young freshly brokehorses for sale.
I thought 6 million acres was a lot. I have a new number to talk about when we talk about big ranches. I have a big respect for Kidman's employees. They made it all possible.
More importantly though it was Sir Sydneys knowledge of the Land and his drovers that made it possible to use the land and the stock routes in the dry times.
Sir Sidney Kidman (9 May 1857 - 2 September 1935), known as Sid Kidman and popularly called "the Cattle King", was an Australian pastoralist and businessman who owned or co-owned large areas of land in Australia during his life. Youth Sidney Kidman was born on 9 May 1857 in Adelaide, in the colony of South Australia, third son of George Kidman (died December 1857), farmer, and his wife Elizabeth Mary, née Nunn. Kidman was educated at private schools in Norwood and left his home near Adelaide at age 13 with just five shillings and a one-eyed horse aptly named Cyclops that he bought with his savings. He joined a drover and learned quickly. He then worked as a tramp and bullock driver at Poolamacca cattle station, and Mount Gipps station. and later as a drover, shepherd and cattle dealer. He made money by trading whatever was needed and providing services (transport, goods, a butcher's shop) to new mining towns springing up in inland New South Wales and South Australia (including Cobar, Kapunda, Burra and eventually Broken Hill). After he and his brothers worked at the same station, they bought their own. On June 30, 1885, Kidman married Isabel Brown Wright. They had four children. Company Kidman saved money and bought a team of oxen, opened a butcher's shop and a store in the Cobar copper rush and made a good profit. When he was 21, he inherited £400 from his grandfather's estate and used the money to buy and sell horses and cattle. Kidman was in his early twenties when he acquired a fourteenth share of the BHP mine for 10 oxen worth around £4 each. He sold his share for £150 less £50 commission and was satisfied with the profit. He had large-scale postal contracts and in 1886 purchased the Owen Springs station. Gradually he extended his holdings until he reached Queensland and New South Wales. In 1895 Kidman, in partnership with his brother Sackville, acquired Covarie Station. In 1896, Kidman purchased her first Queensland property, Annandale Station, situated in Channel Country and described as ideal cattle fattening country. In 1899 he acquired Eringa Station in South Australia, Austral Downs (NT) and Carcoory Station. In 1903, Kidman owned or co-owned about 38,000 square miles (98,420 km) of country stretching from Carlton Hill Station in Western Australia to Victoria River Downs Station in the Northern Territory and Macumba Station in southern Australia. Australia, and properties in the Channel County of Queensland, including Annandale and Bulloo Downs. Kidman acquired Diamantina Lakes Station in 1908, paying A£25,000 for the station and all its stock. Later in 1908 he purchased the 700-square-kilometre (270 sq mi) Mount Poole station in inland New South Wales.] The estimated size of Kidman's holdings in 1908 was 50,000 square miles (129,499 km 2 ). Another large Channel Country property, Durham Downs Station, was purchased in 1909.] Kidman purchased the property along with Tilbaroo, Morney Plains and Durrie stations in Queensland, Burrawinna on the border and Macumba station in South Australia as part of her plan of acquiring prime pastures along the areas followed by watercourses. He borrowed A£50,000 to pay the asking price of A£100,000. Kidman and the company Bovril Australian Estates purchased Carlton Hill station in the Kimberley region of Western Australia in 1909 along with two other stations one being Northcote and Victoria River Downs in the Territory of the North, for £200,000. Boorara Station was acquired in 1913. Kidman acquired Yancannia Station in far western New South Wales in 1916 followed by Corona Station, also in far western New South Wales, in 1917 In 1916, Kidman invested in Glenroy Station with the then owners, Reginald Spong and Jabez Orchard, forming the Glenroy Pastoral Company. He acquired Urisino Station in 1913 along with Elsinora and Thurloo Downs in inland New South Wales from Goldsbrough Mort & Co In 1924, Kidman acquired Merty Merty Station in outback South Australia. When World War I broke out, Kidman was a millionaire. He was knighted in the 1921 Birthday Honors for his support of the war effort Kidman's business initiatives extended to many other rural industries. Probably his only unsuccessful business venture was the Kidman & Mayoh shipyard, which he established with engineer brothers Arthur and Joseph Mayoh in the Sydney suburb of Putney, Sydney, when the Commonwealth government asked for 24 wooden ships to be built by various companies for the war effort. The company employed hundreds of men to fell and square heavy timber on the New South Wales north coast. With labor shortages, "bush carpenters" left the north coast to work in the shipyard, assisting the skilled shipbuilders. However, with the end of hostilities, the government reduced Kidman & Mayoh's contract from six to two. In early 1920 the Australian trading company, Burns Philip, made an offer to the government to purchase the two ships. However, the first ship - reported to be “the largest wooden ship ever built in Australia” - was damaged on launch and failed to receive the necessary first class certification. A saga of litigation ensued, and the ships, one of which had no usable timber, were burned in 1923. Kidman lost many thousands of pounds, but was reported to have said that his greatest regret was that the work of the superb axes of the north coast forests, with his enthusiasm, skill and loyalty, everything went in vain Known at that time as "the Cattle King", Kidman retired in 1927. At the time of her death in 1935, Kidman owned, or had a large interest in, land that reportedly covered from 85,000 square miles (220,000 km) to 107,000 square miles (280,000 km), the latter value equating to 3.7. percent of Australia's mainland area. Around 176 thousand heads of cattle and 215 thousand heads of sheep were stored in 68 different stations. They comprised a vast network from the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Fitzroy River in Western Australia to South Australia near the Flinders Ranges and also into New South Wales. He was well served by his vision of making his empire the drought proofing by growing and fattening cattle at remote northern stations and moving them along station lines along the great inland river systems to southern markets, providing good feed and water. on the way to sell them in great condition
The fascinating true story of a man of his times, ruthless yes but the men whole helped build his empire at the end gave credit to his vision and were proud of their part.
I have watched this three times. One thing is clear, Australia I too dry. Ausie are hard workers but I think the dryness nature affect their efforts. I am readily available to partner with any rancher who would like to allocate to Tanzania. Tanzania also have vast land, with grasses and crops are grown to feed livestock such as maize, sorghum, soyabean, lablab etc. Many areas receive two rainfall season and some of them have single but enough rainfall season. Fresh underground water available in plenty, rivers (under government control), but also can dig rain water harvest dams. Tanzania is a gateway to the Middle East market and Asia. 3-major Ports, airports used to import and export.
@@ncubentobeko7927Why wouldn’t you? The popular city-centric, poor-bugger-me narrative has difficulty explaining why aboriginals were so keen and willing to move onto the stations and the missions. People who romanticise the nomadic lifestyle have never had to live it in a continent as arid and erratic as Australia. The Australians of that era shared a lot of cultural ties with the English who had banned slavery and were funding (and dying in ) a worldwide war against the slave trade. By the end of the 1850s, aboriginal men had the vote in three Australian colonies and full rights as British subjects under law. White churchmen were preaching the brotherhood of all men from their pulpits, white people were voluntarily funding aboriginal welfare and white men were voluntarily reporting violence against blacks by other white men. Like any remote area of those times, there was violence, but to jump to the conclusion that a man could not be decent - as many were - is a pretty strong form of prejudice. Members of my family worked alongside aboriginal troopers in the Native Police and consistently spoke well of them.
It’s interesting to compare two well-known Australians of the same era. Kidman and Ned Kelly were born only three years apart. While Kelly was stealing horses, Kidman was building his business through hard work and shrewd dealing. I regard Kidman as one of the best answers to those Kelly-romantics who like to excuse Kelly on the basis of a poor childhood.
Too true and fire hazard too. Abos and others always have a pit to control both smoke and wind. Embers for roasting Kangaroo, wobats etc. whole in skin. Damper pot and billy essential gear...
This was interesting. I've always marveled and wondered at why Western America and Australia shared so much in common. The stock handling, horsemanship, even the dam droughts. Good video.
About 1925 Kidman correctly sensed another drought was coming. As an outdoorsmen he knew that weather historically repeats itself and that he would have to face disaster again. I wonder why didn't he sell his mobs that were vulnerable to drought and keep those mobs that could survive instead of suffering those incredible losses? Hell-uv-a story, and I tip my hat to you Aussies...
Charlie Swearingen terrible droughts make for great cattle prices, if you can survive a drought with your large herd intact the following years you’ll make big money... a risk of course
Charlie Swearingen: Hi from an old Sth Aust. country boy. I was very pleased to find the book "The Cattle King" by Ion Idries, just a few months ago. In perfect condition ,too. A great read for people like us who love finding out about our past outstanding people. This movie seems to closely follow the general details as laid out in the book. But The book is quite compre hensive. So yeah, a helluva read.
Actually he did start then moving stock down the chain of stations. But what most dont realise is that distance they ahf to cover was over three thousand miles in many cases. The far northern cattle were also javing problems with tick fever from ixodes bovis.
Even at the time of the depression drought as the 1926 drought was known there wasnt much investment into artesian basin bore holes that came into its own towards the last year or so of that drought.
Why aren't the children taught about our great Australian pioneers .....? AND constructions etc ??? What's wrong with us ?? Nat Buchanan .. is another tremendous . drover and pioneer.....performing amazing fetes opening some of the most arid areas of this country with thousands of head of cattle..., . Bet most people haven't even heard of him !!! SHAME Australia.. .
1970s 16yr old worked on a station in vic horseback Go down the back paddock & move a herd cattle they said 2 hrs L8tr Didnt relise how big the property was .mortat station vic then went droving 2,500 head sheep 150miles- Sheep like Holes in broken fences & train lines Hopless job i left for the city afterwards :)
there was an australian tv series called the dirtwater dynasty, this is the man who they where talking about, a great great man, hope theres statues of the man all over australia for what he achieved
She doesnt own Anna Creek Station which is in south australia and it was the biggest Kidman property its bigger than all of Ireland and its owened by an australian family now
Dont be daft meaghanshe is a great great great ..... niece of his having descended down through on of his brothers. Its on the net. I also know some of the family members who have backed this up.
@@kevinklingner3098 I worked with Kidman’s for 4 years I do know the history and I was told by Sidney Kidman’s great great grandson that she was not related
worked for a rancher in Montana who did the same thing only had twenty dollar gold piece and a dream ended up with the ability to do anything he wanted but his ranch was first I liked him and had a great respect for him
those poor horse's mouths...!!! they hold the reins too tight, ride em too hard, & give em back too little for what they get/take out of them! you'd think they were machines. i call that 'abusive'. if you 'need' em then treat em with respect & gratitude! animals are next in importance to humans & God gave us dominion over them to CARE for them. not to use & abuse them!
I just watched and marveled at this story for a second time. I heard once that Nicole Kidman the actress is related to this man. Just curious and I wonder if that is true??
Sure did make a lot of money, but all of these people benefited directly from taking land that was clearly owned by Aboriginal people. There was not fair, 'Christian' deals - just plain stolen. And who is living in the lap of luxury now? The Kidmans or the people who owned the land for the previous 50,000 years?
Wrong, the TRADITIONAL aboriginal people are the first to say they never owned the land. It's not anyone's to own. Secondly, there is much evidence to suggest aboriginals weren't the first to walk on Australian soil, some even believe they stole it from the original pygmy tribes. Thirdly aboriginals completely and utterly changed the face of Australia, thru things such as fire stick burning. It is now commonly accepted that the eradication of Australia's unique mega fauna is widely contributed to aboriginal occupation of Australia.. where did you get your information regarding aboriginal Australia? University??
So what country on this earth had not been plundered and every Aussie black or white who fought the invading Japanese in WW2 from butchering there way across Australia The country belongs to them and their families
I am tired of this 'stole from the natives' bullshit. If you have things in your history you want to atone for, go ahead but stfu with your virtue signalling and white guilt. I'm not buying it.
@@gretchens4828 Bullshit. Name me one N. American tribe that didnt take the land by conquest from someone before them. The US took or bought much of the American West from the French, Spaniards, Mexicans, Russians and British who had already taken it from Natives, who in turn had taken it from others.