Thomas John Quilty was an Australian station owner, pastoralist, philanthropist, and bush poet. To this day he still holds the record for the largest freehold land acreage in Australia's history; over 3 million acres for a single property. In total, he controlled over 4.5 million acres of land.
Early life
Quilty was born in Normanton, Queensland, to an Irish family with six children. He began his career with his father and brothers Patrick and Reginald by buying large stations in the Kimberley region to run stock for the beef market, breeding and training horses and cattle that could thrive in the harsh territory conditions.
Education
Tom received schooling at the family stations before being sent to boarding school at Nudgee College, Brisbane. After school he helped his father and brothers Patrick and Reginald to run Oakland Park and Euroka Springs, another station which the family had acquired north of Julia Creek. Robust and energetic, he honed his legendary horsemanship by riding with a band of wild young stockmen known as the 'Forest Devils'. In 1909 his parents and two of his sisters moved to Sydney. Property investment there increased the family's wealth and, in 1917, Quilty & Sons bought Bedford Downs Station, near Halls Creek, Western Australia, for £34,000. Patrick managed that station while Tom managed Euroka Springs. At All Saints Church, Roma, on 30 April 1919 he married fellow Irish native Charlotte Lillian Laura Isis Byrne; they were to have four children Roderick, Patrick, Irene, and Doreen.
Career as a cattleman
Quilty was an outstanding cattleman, an authority on the bush and northern Australia, a skilled 'poddy-dodger' and he could be 'a bit of a menace.' Generous with his fortune, but not one to give praise, he participated enthusiastically in outback social activities. He bred and trained his own stockhorses, racehorses and polo ponies. He was a proud and enthusiastic horse lover with his racehorse Proud Boy earning him honours on the racetrack. He invested in the Kimberley Hotel at Halls Creek and donated money for a grandstand at the local racing club. To raise funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, he published a volume of poems, The Drover's Cook. The poems dealt with station life, drinking, personal relationships, and raising children of mixed blood at Springvale homestead. The poems are still in publication today. Tom Quilty is honoured for his immense contribution to the success of the Australian cattle industry and his notoriety as one of the most famous cattle barons in history through his inclusion in the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame.
Charity work
A passionate horseman, in 1966 he donated 1000 pounds for the creation of a trophy for the Tom Quilty Gold Cup. An event designed to test the skill of horse and rider it was awarded to the winner of a 100-mile who could not only complete the gruelling course but whose horse also finished in sound health. Quilty and his good mate RM Williams created the Tom Quilty Gold Cup a national championship endurance horse event, held annually in Australia which is now the biggest professional endurance ride in the Southern Hemisphere. In 1976, Tom Quilty was awarded the O.B.E. for his services to primary industry. After suffering a number of strokes, he resided at Oakland Farm near Capel, Western Australia. He died on 24 November 1979.
