John Lang Currie
John Lang Currie | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Selkirkshire, Scotland |
| Died | March 11, 1898 (aged 79) |
| Occupation(s) | Pastoralist, sheep breeder |
| Known for | Breeding "Larra lustre" merino sheep |
John Lang Currie (17 November 1818 – 11 March 1898) was a Scottish-born Australian pastoralist originally from Selkirkshire, who emigrated to the Port Phillip area (which later became Victoria) in 1841. Using loans from family, he acquired the 129.50 km2 Larra property near Camperdown in the Western District along with 1,500 sheep for £750. He began his breeding program in 1844 by introducing Saxon merinos from Van Diemen's Land and sheep sourced from John Macarthur’s flock at Camden, New South Wales. Despite initial difficulties, Currie established himself as a prominent breeder of sheep and wool producer.
Perfect Wool
During the 1860s, Currie created the "Larra lustre" strain of merino sheep. Within ten years, wool from this breed earned international prestige, with buyers in London praising it as "perfect." By 1881, he was commanding prices of five guineas per ram and distributing his stock throughout Australia, South Africa, and the United States. Throughout the 1880s, Currie ranked among the foremost merino breeders in Australia.
The introduction of the 1862 Land Act posed a threat to large pastoral holdings by allowing land to be taken up by small-scale farmers; nevertheless, Currie's considerable financial resources enabled him to expand his holdings rather than diminish them. He purchased the 68.80 km2 Titanga estate in 1886 and followed with the acquisition of the 80 km2 Gala estate in 1889. By the mid-1890s, Currie’s freehold land portfolio totaled 323.75 km2, regarded as prime grazing territory, supporting a flock of approximately 100,000 sheep. In addition to his properties in Victoria, he maintained pastoral interests in New South Wales and Queensland and expanded into textile manufacturing as chairman of the Victorian Woollen and Cloth Manufacturing Co.
Unlike many fellow pastoralists in the Western District, Currie refrained from political involvement despite being invited to join the Victorian Legislative Council. He fulfilled roles as a justice of the peace and elder within the Presbyterian Church, generously supporting associated charitable organizations. Moreover, he was a patron of the Skipton Sheep Show and held fellowship with the Royal Geographical Society.
Personal life
Currie divided his time between his estates and Geelong until moving to Melbourne in 1871. There he constructed Eildon Mansion on Grey Street in St Kilda, where he resided until passing away in 1898. At his death, his estate was valued at £479,000—a substantial sum for that era. He was married to Louise Johnston and fathered five sons along with three daughters.
A passionate bibliophile, Currie gathered an extensive collection of books at Larra. In 1901, one of his daughters donated his Australiana library of around 800 volumes to Ormond College library at the University of Melbourne. This collection was subsequently transferred to the State Library of Victoria, where it is now preserved within the La Trobe Rare Book Collection.