Henry 'Babe' Curran

Last updated April 06, 2019

Henry ‘Babe’ Curran (1896–1964) was one of the most successful Australian woolgrowers during the industry’s boom in the 1940s and 1950s.

Pastoral farming is a form of agriculture aimed at producing livestock, rather than growing crops. Examples include dairy farming, raising beef cattle, and raising sheep for wool. In contrast, arable farming concentrates on crops rather than livestock. Finally, Mixed farming incorporates livestock and crops on a single farm. Some mixed farmers grow crops purely as fodder for their livestock; some crop farmers grow fodder and sell it to pastoral farmers.

Biography

Born Henry Everard Curran on 1 December 1896 at Ginninderra (now called ‘Gold Creek’ in the Australian Capital Territory), Curran was widely known as ‘Babe’. His mother, Agnes Gribble, was from an innovative farming family of the district.^[1] His father, Henry Roland Curran, was the local blacksmith.^[2] Curran married Amy Reid from Tallagandra in 1921. Together, they reared four children.^[3]

Ginninderra is the name of the former agricultural lands surrendered to urban development on the western and north-western fringes of Canberra, the capital of Australia. Ginninderra corresponds with the watershed of Ginninderra Creek, which is now in part occupied by the Canberra districts of Belconnen and Gungahlin.

The Australian Capital Territory is a federal territory of Australia, located in the south-east of the country and enclaved within the state of New South Wales. It contains Canberra, the capital city of Australia.

Curran commenced his working life as a farmhand, but he remained focused on getting his own flock from an early age. As he had very limited resources, he had to build up his holdings and bloodline slowly. He bought a number of rundown properties throughout the district, starting with George Harcourt's 'Deasland' in 1927. He improved the pasture and the quality of his breeding stock, as best he could.^[4] His clip, which sold under the ‘HH Yass’ brand (pictured), was primarily developed from a mob of ‘expired’ Merryville merino ewes, bought cheaply in 1919.^[5]

Deasland is an historic homestead at Ginninderra in Canberra’s north on the Barton Highway. In 2015 press coverage revealed that it will be demolished due to 'Mr Fluffy' asbestos contamination.

Yass is a town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Yass Valley Council. The name appears to have been derived from an Aboriginal word, "Yarrh", said to mean 'running water'.

The Merino is one of the most historically relevant and economically influential breeds of sheep, much prized for its wool. The breed was originated and improved in Extremadura, in southwestern Spain, around the 12th century; it was instrumental in the economic development of 15th and 16th century Spain, which held a monopoly on its trade, and since the end of the 18th century it was further refined in New Zealand and Australia, giving rise to the modern Merino.

Once he had everything in place, the records flowed. Curran achieved the top price for a clip from the Australian Capital Territory for at least 29 seasons over the period 1933 to 1964. His clips briefly held the top price under the wartime appraisement scheme (i.e. when open markets were closed over the 1939-1944 seasons). He topped the Goulburn or Sydney wool sales on 19 occasions; set the state and national records for top price for eight seasons; achieved the Commonwealth record price for six seasons; as well as four separate world record prices.^[6] His wool was also the first to gain ₤100 for a single bale and he was the first Australian grazier to earn ₤1 for 1lb of wool (i.e. a ‘pound for pound’). His world record price of 435d, set in 1945, was recorded when two Milanese buyers competed, head-to-head, for his clip.^[7] Surprisingly, these records were all achieved with flocks primarily pastured on land now covered by Canberra’s outer northern suburbs.^[8]

Sydney is the state capital of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Port Jackson and extends about 70 km (43.5 mi) on its periphery towards the Blue Mountains to the west, Hawkesbury to the north, the Royal National Park to the south and Macarthur to the south-west. Sydney is made up of 658 suburbs, 40 local government areas and 15 contiguous regions. Residents of the city are known as "Sydneysiders". As of June 2017, Sydney's estimated metropolitan population was 5,230,330 and is home to approximately 65% of the state's population.

The Commonwealth of Nations, normally known as the Commonwealth, is a unique political association of 53 member states, nearly all of them former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Commonwealth Secretariat, which focuses on intergovernmental aspects, and the Commonwealth Foundation, which focuses on non-governmental relations between member states.

Milan is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city in Italy after Rome, with the city proper having a population of 1,372,810 while its metropolitan city has a population of 3,245,308. Its continuously built-up urban area has a population estimated to be about 5,270,000 over 1,891 square kilometres. The wider Milan metropolitan area, known as Greater Milan, is a polycentric metropolitan region that extends over central Lombardy and eastern Piedmont and which counts an estimated total population of 7.5 million, making it by far the largest metropolitan area in Italy and the 54th largest in the world. Milan served as capital of the Western Roman Empire from 286 to 402 and the Duchy of Milan during the medieval period and early modern age.

Babe Curran died on 14 October 1964 from a heart attack.^[9]

Related Research Articles

Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other animals, including cashmere and mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, from hide and fur clothing from bison, angora from rabbits, and other types of wool from camelids; additionally, the Highland and the Mangalica breeds of cattle and swine, respectively, possess wooly coats. Wool consists of protein together with a few percent lipids. In this regard it is chemically quite distinct from the more dominant textile, cotton, which is mainly cellulose.

Queanbeyan City in New South Wales, Australia

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References

↑ L.L. Gillespie, Ginninderra: Forerunner to Canberra, Campbell, 1992, pp. 96-102.
↑ The Canberra Times, 18 August 1956, p. 2; L.L. Gillespie, Ginninderra: Forerunner to Canberra, Campbell, 1992, pp. 102-103, 108-110, 142-144, 156-157; P. Saunders, ‘Archaeological Survey of Ginninderra Village’, 1993; C. Newman, Gold Creek: Reflections of Canberra’s Rural Heritage, Ngunnawal, 2004, pp. 58-59, 65; H. Cooke, ‘A Short History of Gungahlin’, Canberra, 2010, pp. 15, 18.
↑ The Queanbeyan Age, 15 July 1921, p. 2; L.L. Gillespie, A Pictorial History of the Read/Reid Family in Australia, 1849-1979, Canberra, 1979, pp. 30-36: J. McDonald, ‘Our Golden Fleece’, Panorama Magazine, The Canberra Times, 18 February 2012, pp. 10-11.
↑ Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative, 8 February 1940, p. 3; The Canberra Times, 9 February 1940, p. 8; G. Barrow, Canberra’s Historic Houses: Dwellings and Ruins of the 19th Century, Canberra, 1998, pp. 12-13; J. McDonald, ‘Our Golden Fleece’, Panorama Magazine, Canberra Times, 18 February 2012, pp. 10-11.
↑ The Canberra Times, 28 September 1933, p. 2; 3 December 1954, p. 2.
↑ These records are reported in the regular wool sale reports of Canberra and New South Wales newspapers over the years,1933-1964. For a summary, see J. McDonald, 'When Ginninderra Grew the Golden Fleece', Canberra Historical Journal, no. 75 (September 2015), pp. 17-18.
↑ The Canberra Times, 5 December 1958, p.2.
↑ J. McDonald, ‘Our Golden Fleece’, Panorama Magazine, Canberra Times, 18 February 2012, pp. 10-11.
↑ Obituary in The Queanbeyan Age, 15 October 1964, p. 4.

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[1] L.L. Gillespie, Ginninderra: Forerunner to Canberra, Campbell, 1992, pp. 96-102.

[2] The Canberra Times, 18 August 1956, p. 2; L.L. Gillespie, Ginninderra: Forerunner to Canberra, Campbell, 1992, pp. 102-103, 108-110, 142-144, 156-157; P. Saunders, ‘Archaeological Survey of Ginninderra Village’, 1993; C. Newman, Gold Creek: Reflections of Canberra’s Rural Heritage, Ngunnawal, 2004, pp. 58-59, 65; H. Cooke, ‘A Short History of Gungahlin’, Canberra, 2010, pp. 15, 18.

[3] The Queanbeyan Age, 15 July 1921, p. 2; L.L. Gillespie, A Pictorial History of the Read/Reid Family in Australia, 1849-1979, Canberra, 1979, pp. 30-36: J. McDonald, ‘Our Golden Fleece’, Panorama Magazine, The Canberra Times, 18 February 2012, pp. 10-11.

[4] Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative, 8 February 1940, p. 3; The Canberra Times, 9 February 1940, p. 8; G. Barrow, Canberra’s Historic Houses: Dwellings and Ruins of the 19th Century, Canberra, 1998, pp. 12-13; J. McDonald, ‘Our Golden Fleece’, Panorama Magazine, Canberra Times, 18 February 2012, pp. 10-11.

[5] The Canberra Times, 28 September 1933, p. 2; 3 December 1954, p. 2.

[6] These records are reported in the regular wool sale reports of Canberra and New South Wales newspapers over the years,1933-1964. For a summary, see J. McDonald, 'When Ginninderra Grew the Golden Fleece', Canberra Historical Journal, no. 75 (September 2015), pp. 17-18.

[7] The Canberra Times, 5 December 1958, p.2.

[8] J. McDonald, ‘Our Golden Fleece’, Panorama Magazine, Canberra Times, 18 February 2012, pp. 10-11.

[9] Obituary in The Queanbeyan Age, 15 October 1964, p. 4.