Booubyjan Station Story

BOOUBYJAN " HOMESTEAD

"BOOUBYJAN," the property of Mr. William Burnett Lawless. This well-known property has been splendidly endowed by Nature with all the advantages necessary to the formation of a successful cattle station, besides which the natural features of the country are highly attractive. Some acquaintance with the circumstances of its original occupation, dating as far back as 1847, when Paul Lawless first brought his flocks and settled down, fighting and living through the manifold dangers and disadvantages undreamed of by present-day pastoralists, adds considerably to the interest of the locality. 

Mr Paul Lawless

Mr William Burnett Lawless

The two brothers, Messrs.  Clement and Paul Lawless, natives of Ireland, left their motherland as young men, and came in 1841 to New South Wales, settling at Liverpool Plains, where they applied themselves to sheep farming. Before long, however, they perceived that better prospects were offering in Queensland, and crossing the border they took up "Nindooinbah," situated on the Logan River, for sheep raising purposes; and continued in this locality until 1847.  At this date they sold out to the late Mr. Compigne, and came to "Booubyjan," in this migration from the Logan being accompanied by several other well known pioneer pastoralists. Mr. Humphries, of "Wetheron"; Mr. Henry Herbert, of "Ban Ban" ; and Mr. Reid, the original holder of "Ideraway," being among the number.  The "Booubyjan" lease was tendered for by Mr. Clement Lawless in the year before-mentioned, and his tender was duly accepted by the Crown in 1849, but the lease was not finally issued until 1862, actually thirteen years after the acceptance of the original tender, during which lengthy period the Lawless Brothers were in possession of the property without any legal documentary evidence of tenure. The annual rental value was fixed at £15, this figure representing the estimated carrying capacity of the country which, on an approximate area of 11,500 acres, was reckoned to be capable of grazing a flock of 6,000 sheep.  The vagueness of the boundary line enclosing this area, as indicated in the document when at length it was drawn up, reveals in curious and interesting sidelights the lack of accurate knowledge required by the authorities for their task. This portion of the document is worded as follows : -"Name of waters, the Liffey; the southern boundary from a marked tree or trees on both sides of the creek, with a scrub on eastern bank, on the west by very broken country, on the north to marked trees on the creek, and on the east by broken and mountainous country ; the line is estimated at from six to seven miles from north to south." Two other leases ("Windera"), held in the name of the family by Paul Lawless, and supposed to embrace 16,000 acres, with a grazing capacity of 6,000 sheep, were also equally vaguely described, thus : - "Continuation of creek from Clement Lawless' application, which forms the southern boundary, south and west boundary very broken country and large pine scrubs ; north boundary a small oakey creek and high rocky ranges; eastern boundary all broken country, Rent, £15." These leases, together with a small one embracing a supposed area of 6,000 acres, at a rental of £10, totalling in all some 35,000 acres, when finally measured MR. W. B. LAWLESS. within the last few years, have been found to contain some 160,000 acres. "Booubyjan," now a well-improved estate, is one of two original leases remaining in the hands of the family of the original Crown lessee, and has been in the family since 1847. It is now in possession of Mr. W. B. Lawless, second son of the late Paul Lawless, who was born on the property in the year 1862-by a coincidence, the same year that the tardy granting of the above-mentioned lease eventuated. The Messrs. Lawless brought with them from the Logan district large flocks of sheep in the charge of some twenty shepherds, and, according to their testimony, the blacks, though in some cases difficult to deal with, could be charged with no cases of murder, their chief misdemeanour taking the form of depredations among the stock. On one occasion, indeed, they actually drove all the sheep up the Boonara Creek, and spearing about 300 for their feast, indulged in a great corroboree.  The remainder of the flock was recovered without much difficulty, and no further serious trouble was experienced. In 1865, on account of the unsatisfactory state of Mr. Paul Lawless' health, a return was made to Ireland, when William Burnett, then a child of three, accompanied his parents. Mr. Paul Lawless died in the southern portion of his native isle shortly after the arrival of the family, and his widow, with her young children, returned to Queensland in 1870. 

In 1874 Mrs. Lawless sent her two sons to England to be educated, and in the following year the gentleman under review entered a preparatory school for Rugby, beginning his first term at the school in 1877, and completing the course in 1881. After leaving Rugby he became a student at the Academy of Brackenbury and Winn, with a view to an army career, the Royal Engineers being his objective. Eventually, however, he relinquished his intention, and in 1881 returned to the land of his birth, where for eighteen months he worked as second assistant, under Mr. William Pagan, chief engineer of the Bundaberg-Mount Perry railway Upon the completion of this period he returned to "Booubyjan," and applied himself with considerable zeal to the - business of cattle raising, which has occupied his attention ever since. Though used in the original instance for sheep, the change of policy has proved in every sense successful, and "Booubyjan," with its beautiful black soil flats and gently undulating country, rising in places to mountainous heights, and its bountiful water supply provided by Boonara Creek and its tributaries, is esteemed among the best cattle country in the district. 

Mr. Lawless is a man of many parts. He is regarded as one of the leading pastoralists of the district, and is noted for his skill with the lathe, while his paintings and carvings testify to his versatile gifts and his strong, artistic temperament. Among the many curios in his possession are some beautifully-turned, horn-mounted stockwhip handles, manufactured out of valuable native woods; and in the homestead dining-room stands a sideboard of solid cedar, elaborately carved, this handsome piece of furniture being Mr. Lawless' own handiwork. His taste for literature is evidenced by a choice collection of books, among which the poets, ancient and modern, are all well represented, Australian writers holding an honoured place on the well-filled shelves. Many art treasures in the shape of old and historic paintings and articles of plate are also sheltered at “Booubyjan.” Mr. Lawless has always been an ernest worker for the advancement of the district, and has occupied a seat on the local Shire Council for many years. He married in 1898 Beatrice Muriel, daughter of Mr. William Walker,  for many years manager of the Maryborough branch of the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney, Limited. This gentleman, who has spent forty-two years in the service of his company ay Maryborough, was the official to receive the first parcel of gold brought down by Mr. James Nash, when the Gympie goldfields were discovered late in 1867. 

Mrs Ellen Lawless "BOOUBYJAN."

"WINDERA," the property of Mr. John Paul Lawless. This holding, situated in the vicinity of Goomeri, originally formed a portion of the MR. J. P. LAWLESS. historical "Booubyjan" Station, which was founded by the father and uncle of the gentleman under review in the year 1846, and has since remained in the possession of the family of which he is a member. "Windera" was part of the first exemption of "Booubyjan" and was taken up by Mr. J. P. Lawless in the year 1886, as a grazing farm of xxx 0,000 acres, its extent being increased in subsequent years to 24,460 acres, which area, at time of writing includes 10,460 acres of freehold and perpetual leasehold lands and 14,000 acres held under grazing farm tenure, the whole adjoining and forming a compact and highly desirable cattle proposition. Richly-grassed open black soil and alluvial flats lying along the banks of Windera and Boonara Creeks, and undulating ridge country lightly timbered with silverleaf, ironbark, gum, and round-leafed box are the predominating features of the land comprising "Windera," the whole being abundantly clothed with blue, couch, oat, and other well-known grasses of first-class fattening quality indigenous to the Burnett district. A natural and ample water supply is afforded by the lagoons and creeks with which the run is provided, these having been known to fail only under the abnormal conditions brought about as the result of the great droughts of 1884 and 1902-3. Improvements of the most up-to-date description are everywhere in evidence and include numerous large and small paddocks, into which the run has been subdivided by wire fences, a judicious system of ring barking, and various modern erections such as materially contribute towards the successful working of a latter-day pastoral proposition.

Two of the paddocks have been furnished with large yards and dips, the presence of which facilitates the handling of the stock and eliminates the necessity of driving the animals from a distance when dipping from a distance when dipping their being turned into their own paddocks immediately after the operation. The butcher's shop and airy are model structures, built for coolness and convenience and adding their quota to the aspect of orderliness which characterizes the outbuildings. The homestead itself leaves nothing to be desired in regard to improvements and is replete with every necessary modern convenience, receiving illumination from an air gas installation, while water is laid on throughout the house and to all the outbuildings and conveyed to troughs in the stables, yards and bull stalls. Situated on sloping ground terminating at the bank of a large lagoon which has a water service of some 300 acres and is the haunt of wildfowl and other water birds, it is provided with a charming foreground, the beauty of which is enhanced by blue mountains in the distance, the whole presenting a picture well worthy of an artist's brush. A large portion of the "Windera" acreage is used at the present time for fattening purposes, the bullocks being usually despatched to the various Brisbane meatworks. 

MR. J. P. LAWLESS.

The paddocks in the near vicinity of the homestead are reserved for a very select herd of pure-bred Herefords established by Mr. Lawless some years ago, its foundation being laid by the purchase of Reynolds (Total), Turnor (The IIolmnwood), and "Braeside" stud cows and bulls, and since carefully built no and maintained. At present sires from the well-known. "Tocal" and "Lyndley" herds are in use; and the demand for bulls from the "Windera" stud herd are far in excess of the numbers which can be supplied, a fact that speaks volumes for the ever-growing popularity of this most useful breed of cattle. In addition to "Windera" Mr. Lawless has landed interests in the Central district of that State, owning "Goomally" and "Nulalbin," two stations situated in the vicinity of Duaringa. The combined area of the above-mentioned properties comprises about 200 square miles of country which is held under lease from the Crown; and both are used as breeding runs and carry a fine type of Hereford cattle. Large numbers of store bullocks are transferred annually from "Goomally" and "Nulalbin" to the fattening property, "Windera," whence they are marketed. "Goomally," which consists of fine grazing country has received considerable attention in the matter of improvements, its yards, dips, etc., being adequate to requirements, while bores also have been sunk to supplement the natural water supply, further development in this important department of station enterprise being now in course of progress, the owner having his own boring plant, which under the charge of an experienced borer, is moved from one site to the next as required. John Paul Lawless is the eldest son of the late Paul Lawless, a native of County Cork, Ireland, who arrived in the land of the Southern Cross, accompanied by his brother, in the early forties. 

STUD HEREFORDS AT WINDERS."

Entering the pastoral industry these gentlemen made their first grazing venture on Liverpool Plains, stocking their country with sheep. Shortly afterwards they transferred their flocks to the Logan River, taking up and stocking "Nindooinbah," a property situated in the district outlying Beaudesert, and now owned by Mrs. William Collins. Finding the Logan country unsuited to sheep, the brothers sold "Nindooinbah" to a Mr. Compigne and proceeded further north with their stock, settled in the Burnett district, and formed "Booubyjan" Station in the year 1846, with which, as before stated, the family has since been identified. Eleven years after the formation of "Booubyjan," Mr. Paul Lawless visited his native land and while there entered the married state, espousing Ellen, only daughter of Mr. William Nash, of Dramcummer, Mallow, County Cork, the issue of this union being a family of four children. Returning to Australia in 1859, the late gentleman remained at "Booubyjan" for the following six years, at the termination of which period, owing to failing health, he relinquished business pursuits and again set out for Ireland accompanied by his wife and children, passing away in the land of his birth shortly after his arrival there, on August 9, 1865. Mr. John Paul Lawless was born at "Booubyjan" on March 17 (the feast of Ireland's patron saint and an auspicous birthday for the first-born of Irish parents ) 1861, and educated at Cheltenham College, England

WINDERA HOMESTEAD

On the conclusion of his studies at that academy he returned to Australia and directed his attention to the industry to which his late father had devoted his life, gaining his first insight into stock and station work on "Booubyjan." After a period spent on the old family estate he accepted a post on "Murrawambie," a property situated on the Began River, New South Wales, in order to gain a thorough knowledge of the most up-to-date methods of conducting a sheep proposition and to equip himself with a wider experience of the wool-growing industry, making such good use of his opportunities that in 1882, being then in his twenty-second year, he was entrusted with the management of "Booubyjan." He remained occupied with the duties connected with that position until 1889, when he relinquished the reins of control and engaged in pastoral enterprise on his own account, acquiring •`Windera" in that year and thenceforward devoting himself to the conduct of that proposition. He married in 1889 Mabel, second daughter of Mr. Thomas Evans, who formerly owned " Aranbanga " Station in the Gayndah district , and has a family of five children . His eldest son, actuated by that sense of duty and patriotism which prompted the flower of Australian manhood to throng to the colours at the country's call, participated in the Great World War as a member of the Australian Light Horse and was serving in Palestine on the conclusion of hostilities in November, 1918. Mr. Lawless has contributed largely to the advancement of the district which has claimed his interest for so considerable a period, and with which he has been identified since infancy. For some years he was a member of the Nananga Divisional Board and later served in the same capacity in the body dealing with similar affairs in Kilkivan.

REAR OF WINDERA  HOMESTEAD.

Source: HISTORY OF QUEENSLAND: ITS PEOPLE AND INDUSTRIES