QUEENSLAND HARRY – HARRY CAHILL c1875 – 1957
Queensland Harry was an Australian Aboriginal stockman who worked at Terrace Station, for Mr Godfrey Hall. Diary entries in 1919 read:
February 2nd: H Cahill up to see about teamster’s job
February 9th: Cahill and family went into Lodge
There is no diary for 1920 and he is not recorded in the 1921 diary.
Harry was in charge of the team horses. One record of his time here is in the form of carvings made on the wall of the team stables. These stables no longer exist, but the carvings were saved and are now in the smithy. In March 1995 Arthur Shand, from Island Hills in North Canterbury, was visiting and he certainly remembered Queensland Harry. Arthur recalled that Harry had worked for Arthur’s uncle at Dunsandel and one summer when oats were being harvested Harry had cut off some fingers in the binder. Every stook had blood on it as Harry had roughly bound up the hand and kept on working. The carving we have is of two arms and hands and on close inspection it becomes obvious that the middle and index fingers of the right hand are considerably shorter than would be normal, and there are no finger nails. So Queensland Harry’s Dunsandel employment must have been prior to his coming to Hororata.
Another memory Arthur had: It was told that when a mob of St James wild horses were brought in to be sold for farm hacks, Harry sat on each one in the pen before they were sold. He was known for his skills with and love of horses.
At some stage the Cahills must have lived in the Methven area as another visitor told me that, “Mrs Queensland Harry played the piano at the silent movies at Methven”. I understand she was a French woman and there was a daughter Tui who I was told later trained as an acrobat.
Harold White also worked at Terrace Station, as a shepherd in 1919. When Harold visited in 1980 he recalled his time here as a young man. One day he had come riding quickly into the yard and in a great hurry ran towards the manager’s house. Suddenly, much to his surprise, he found himself flat on the ground “chewing the stones”. He had been lassooed by Harry who reprimanded him for his haste – “Nobody runs in my yard.” In Harry’s opinion it was important that the area for his horses was a calm and unhurried place.
Queensland Harry is remembered in a book by John Foley Queensland Harry published in 2005 by the South Canterbury Museum and in a ballad by Joe Charles found in his collection Black Billy Tea - New Zealand Ballads.
The ballad has been recorded by Phil Garland in The Billycan Ballads ( A Musical Tribute to the Poetry of Joe Charles.)
Queensland Harry was an Australian Aboriginal stockman who worked at Terrace Station, for Mr Godfrey Hall. Diary entries in 1919 read:
February 2nd: H Cahill up to see about teamster’s job
February 9th: Cahill and family went into Lodge
There is no diary for 1920 and he is not recorded in the 1921 diary.
Harry was in charge of the team horses. One record of his time here is in the form of carvings made on the wall of the team stables. These stables no longer exist, but the carvings were saved and are now in the smithy. In March 1995 Arthur Shand, from Island Hills in North Canterbury, was visiting and he certainly remembered Queensland Harry. Arthur recalled that Harry had worked for Arthur’s uncle at Dunsandel and one summer when oats were being harvested Harry had cut off some fingers in the binder. Every stook had blood on it as Harry had roughly bound up the hand and kept on working. The carving we have is of two arms and hands and on close inspection it becomes obvious that the middle and index fingers of the right hand are considerably shorter than would be normal, and there are no finger nails. So Queensland Harry’s Dunsandel employment must have been prior to his coming to Hororata.
Another memory Arthur had: It was told that when a mob of St James wild horses were brought in to be sold for farm hacks, Harry sat on each one in the pen before they were sold. He was known for his skills with and love of horses.
At some stage the Cahills must have lived in the Methven area as another visitor told me that, “Mrs Queensland Harry played the piano at the silent movies at Methven”. I understand she was a French woman and there was a daughter Tui who I was told later trained as an acrobat.
Harold White also worked at Terrace Station, as a shepherd in 1919. When Harold visited in 1980 he recalled his time here as a young man. One day he had come riding quickly into the yard and in a great hurry ran towards the manager’s house. Suddenly, much to his surprise, he found himself flat on the ground “chewing the stones”. He had been lassooed by Harry who reprimanded him for his haste – “Nobody runs in my yard.” In Harry’s opinion it was important that the area for his horses was a calm and unhurried place.
Queensland Harry is remembered in a book by John Foley Queensland Harry published in 2005 by the South Canterbury Museum and in a ballad by Joe Charles found in his collection Black Billy Tea - New Zealand Ballads.
The ballad has been recorded by Phil Garland in The Billycan Ballads ( A Musical Tribute to the Poetry of Joe Charles.)
