A History of Marrar and District, 1979. Researched and Compiled by Mr Alby Armstrong 18. Personalities Includes the Nick Winter (Olympic Gold), Martin Moloney (Prime Lamb King), Peter Snodgrass, the Pattisons and the Cooper School Library
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Over the years, Marrar has from time to time, had its outstanding personalities.  Some have achieved fame in sport, others just went their normal way seeking neither praise nor reward.  In their lifetime they achieved a great deal and the fruits of their labour remain with us today.

Nick Winter - Olympic Gold
On the International Sporting Scene the name 'Nick' Winter will remain a legend for generations to come.  What a day it was back in the year 1924 when the Australian Flag flew all day from the flagpole at the local school.  It was the first time in history that the flag had been raised throughout the Commonwealth for the achievements of a sportsman.

The occasion was the victory of A.W. 'Nick' Winter winning for Australia the Hop, Step and Jump at the 1924 Paris Olympic Games.  Winter's leap of 51ft 1 ½ inches set a new World Record that was to remain unbroken for eight years.

Andrew William, or 'Billy' Winter as he was known in his younger days, was born at Brocklesby in 1895 and at an early age came to Marrar with his parents, Andy and Mrs. Sal.  Winter.  As mentioned elsewhere, the Winters were to play a prominent part in the early history of Marrar.

Always a daredevil, young Billy often amazed, and at times frightened his friends, with his crazy stunts around the town.  While still quite young, he bet some of the local lads seven marbles that he would lie between the railway lines and let an approaching goods train pass over him.  The marbles duly paid over, he lay between the lines.  As the train approached his friends ran away.  When the train had passed he stood up, quite unaffected by the ordeal.

When the Marrar Catholic Church was being built and the brickwork was completed, young Billy Winter was noticed one morning standing on his hands on top of the wall.  It was some considerable time before a group of local residents gathered below could induce him to return to the ground.

When Andy Winter built the new two storey bakery and Mrs. Winter moved the business from the weatherboard shop at the east end of York Street, young Billy was given the job of delivering bread around the town.  No tally was kept but during his short term as driver, he. managed to demolish several delivery carts.  This usually happened when he drove too close to fence posts and stumps to 'whip flick' frilled neck lizards as they sunned themselves in the spring and summer sunshine.

In 1916, Winter enlisted in the A.I.F. and served overseas with the Signalling Corps.  At the end of the war he joined the Metropolitan Fire Brigade and in 1924 was selected to represent Australia at the Paris Olympics. It was during his tour of Europe with the Australian Team that he acquired the name 'Nick'.

At 29 years of age Winter was the most versatile athlete in Australia.  He excelled as a runner, jumper, footballer, cricketer, tennis player, golfer, wrestler, boxer, skater and billiard and snooker player.  With the billiard cue he often appeared with the Lindrums who were in world class in their day.  If a sport required nerve, speed, skill, stamina, strength and determination, Nick Winter was the master of them all.

After his triumphant return from Paris, Australians should have turned out in their thousands to pay homage to their Olympic Champion.  However, very little recognition was ever given to the boy from Marrar, who returned from Paris with a World Record that was to stand for eight years.

When Nick Winter died in 1955 at the age of 60 years, leading newspapers throughout Australia paid tribute to him as a Sportsman and Australia's first Olympic Gold Medal Winner.

Martin Moloney - The Prime Lamb King
As the years pass on, the world changes, seasons alter and no two years are alike.  Much the same can be said for agriculture.  Early settlers believed the country was only suitable for cattle, later it was conceded that wool could be produced if big areas were available.  With the coming of the free selector with his small farm of often less than 500 acres, much more intensive farming was called for.  Wheat growing was the accepted occupation of the small farmer, or 'Cocky' as he became known, with the finished product either harvested for grain or cut for hay.

With the world caught up in the great depression, grain prices tumbled to an alarming level.  In 1934 wheat was selling as low as one shilling a bushel.  Martin Moloney, known as 'Little Martin', as distinct from 'Big Martin' of Coolamon was a successful wheat grower who had taken over a small area on the Murrulebale Road during World War 1. His farm was called 'Mons' after the great battle fought by the Allied Armies in France during the War.

Realising that something more than just wheat was needed for the farmer to prosper, Martin Moloney secured a small area adjoining 'Mons' and introduced a flock of Merino sheep.  Results were not encouraging, the only value the merinos seemed to have was to keep the fallow land free of weeds during the summer, and keep the family in fresh meat.

About this time, the people in the large cities were beginning to acquire a taste for lamb.  Good types of lamb were selling as high as ten shillings each in places like Sydney and Wagga.  English Leicester, Border Leicester and Southdown rams were used with the merino ewes and a very attractive lamb was produced.  The cross bred lambs had one disadvantage though; they took too long to mature and were often caught up in the spring grass seeds of corkscrew and barley grass.  What was needed was a breed of sheep that could mature in the winter or early spring.

Martin Moloney was able to secure a Dorset Horn ram from Wagga Experiment Farm, this breed having a reputation for very rapid growth.  The results of the matings with the Merino ewes were not encouraging, the lambs being small and very wrinkled.
During the early summer though the Dorset Horn ram had succeeded in mating with a small draft of Border Leicester, Merino Cross ewe lambs which had been carried over because they were to small to sell in the spring.

The ewe lambs, now two tooth, commenced to lamb in early Autumn; the season was away to a good start.  Their growth rate was amazing, at three to four months, some lambs tipped the scales at 90 lbs.  That same year, a line of good quality Border Leicester - Merino Cross ewes was secured and joined to Dorset Horn rams.  At this stage sound animal husbandry was needed to secure the future of the new venture.

Martin Moloney knew what was needed and looked around for a source of early feed for his ewes and lambs.  The sowing of oats in early March seemed the answer, and with good early rains, the lambs were away to a quick start.  The following spring, the lambs from 'Mons' were topping the market wherever they were sold.

Wagga was a 'natural' and Coolamon was coming into its own as a prime lamb centre.  Others were quick to follow the lead but never quite produced the quality of the 'Master'.  I had the honour of carting the best pen of lambs I have ever seen, even up to the present time, to Coolamon Saleyards.  Thirty five lambs were a load on the single deck Ford truck, and two trips were needed to take the draft of 70 lambs to market.

The lambs were drafted into two lines and my instructions were to take the seconds' first, and come back for the 'tops' later.  My first load attracted the attention of M.0. Curtis, the Agent, and before I had them penned, spectators and buyers were gathering to look them over.  'Whose are they?  Where did they come from?'  The questions came from all around me.  I mentioned that they were only the seconds and that I had to return for the tops.  The remark was regarded as a joke and not taken seriously.  I was a little late returning with the second load and by the time I had them unloaded everyone in the saleyards was looking on.

There was almost complete silence as the auctioneer stepped into the pen.  Every buyer in the yard wanted them, and Jack Curtis the Auctioneer, just stood and listened as the bids came in.  When the final bid was called it was one pound eight shillings and tenpence.  The price was announced as a record for Coolamon Yards and it was some time before the sale moved on to the next pen.  The little 'Master' from Marrar had shown what his district could produce.  This was only one of many times that the prime lambs from 'Mons' topped the Coolamon market.

Little Martin Moloney has been gone for many years now but the prime lamb he lifted to such a high standard remains with us as a leading industry in the Marrar District.  When the first sale was held in Coolamon after his passing, M.0. Curtis asked for a minute s silence and every man present, stood, bareheaded and silent, as a tribute to Martin Moloney, The Prime Lamb King.

Peter Snodgrass - A Legend In Our Time
So far we have written only of the people of Marrar who were born and raised in the district.  Let us deviate for a moment to recognise the contribution made to our district by one who came from a land on the opposite side of the world.

He came among us, a humble young man, during a span of forty years he rose to great heights, but when he left us, he was still humble to his fellow men.  His full name was Hugh Stevenson Roberton, but mention the name 'Scotty' and every man woman and child knew who was referred to.

He first saw the light of day at Queens Park, Glasgow, Scotland on 18th December, 1900, the son of Sir Hugh S. and Lady Roberton, who before her marriage was Miss Joanne McGillivray.  Remember the catchy tune, 'I Know Where I'm Going, and I Know Who's Going With Me'.  Also the film of the same name.  The voices and music was by the Glasgow Orpheus Choir, conducted by Sir Hugh Roberton.  Hugh Roberton Junior was educated at West of Scotland Agricultural College and Glasgow University.

The call of the land was always in his blood and the distant horizons of Australia continued to beckon him until the call was irresistible.  He arrived in Australia in 1922 and sought work as a jackeroo on stations in the Riverina.  From jackeroo he graduated to shearer and at one time shore on Buckarginga Station near Henty.

After a solid grounding in Australian conditions he was able to put together a small farming plant and began share farming on Murrulebale Station.  It was the custom then for a farmer to harvest his own wheat and then cart it to the nearest railhead.  How well I remember the young Scot, his dirty face streaked with sweat stains as he trudged along beside his team and wagon load of wheat enroute to Marrar.

The red and white skewbald horse with saddle and bridle attached, tied to the rear of the wagon completed the team.  He was a successful farmer and his hard work was rewarded with prosperity.

In 1924 he married Marjorie Wyllie a Sydney girl, whose father was Commodore of the Huddart Parker Shipping Line.  From this time on, the Robertons worked as a team and much of his success came from the loyal support given to him by Marjorie Roberton over a period of more than forty years.

He was elected to Coolarnon Shire Council in 1932 and remained a Councillor till just before his enlistment in the A.I.F. in 1942.  During the war he served in the Middle East with the 2/3 Anti Tank Regiment, 9th Australian Division.

In 1945, following his discharge from the Army, he nominated for the position of President of the Farmers and Settlers Association of N.S.W. and became the first and only man ever to be elected President from the floor of the Annual Conference.  When he took up his new position as leader of this strong and powerful farmers association, there were those who said he would wreck it in two years.  When he retired four years later the F.S.A. was in a stronger position than it had ever been in its whole history.

At the end of his term as leader of the Fanners and Settlers Association he was elected to Federal Parliament as Member for Riverina, defeating the Sitting A.L.P. Member J.I. 'Old Joe' Langtry a former Marrar identity.  'Old Joe' was the former Publican, Farmer, Footballer and Club President of the Football Club during the 1920's.

Following his election on December 10, 1949 he held the seat for the Country Party until 1965.  On the 28th of February 1956 he was appointed to the Federal Cabinet, with the portfolio of Minister for Social Services, under Prime Minister R.G. Menzies.

His parliamentary career ended in 1965 when he accepted the position of Australian Ambassador to Ireland, a position he filled with distinction for a period of four years.

These were the years when he received so much support from his wife Marjorie, to whom he was eternally grateful.  Writing in the 'Riverina Advocate' of January 21,1965, Dorothy Farrell paid this tribute to Mrs. Roberton.

'She is a poised and gracious lady, yet a simple and loving person.  These qualities will make her as great a help to our new Ambassador to Ireland as she has been to him over the many years he has been a struggling and later successful farmer, a soldier and Federal Minister.

They are a good team, and will 'Do Australia Proud' in their new and important position. I hope they enjoy their term of duty in Ireland as much as we are glad to have them as Australia's Ambassadors.'

It was, however, as a local farmer that 'Scotty' Roberton will best be remembered to the people of Marrar and Winchendon Vale.  If any of his neighbours had a problem, and during the great depression they had plenty, they immediately sought him out for advice.  When wheat prices tumbled to around one shilling and sixpence a bushel, Bill Armstrong arrived one morning at his back door and suggested he go to Canberra to see if he could get a bit more for the farmers wheat.  He had little hope but he cranked up the Model T. single seater Ford car and, at his own expense headed for Canberra.

How he managed to secure an interview with Prime Minister Scullin no one will ever know, but he returned home with the information that the Federal Government would pay a bounty of fourpence a bushel on all wheat delivered that season.  This small bounty immediately became known as the 'Cocky's Dole'.

In the following year he put together the Roberton Wheat Stabilisation Scheme, which became the policy of the Farmers and Settlers Association.  The scheme called for a payment of four shillings a bushel for the first 3000 bushels of wheat delivered on behalf of each individual grower.  Any amount over 3000 bushels to be sold on the open market at world parity prices.

The scheme was kicked around for a year or two, but was finally adopted by Federal Minister for Agriculture Scully and became, known as the Scully Wheat Plan.  This was the beginning of the present day Wheat Stabilisation Act.

In 1930 he was engaged to write a weekly article for the Coolamon 'Review'.  The Column was known as, 'A Farmers Point of View' by Peter Snodgrass and had as a preface, 'Look Then Into Thine Heart and Write', (Longfellow).  It covered items of topical interest and with humour and pathos was a winner from the start.

He wrote on one occasion, 'The Mayor of Winchendon Vale is in a dour mood these days because of the bra west wind whistling through the breaks in his breeks which the wee wifie ha not the wool to mend'.

Transferring to 'The Land', he wrote a full page feature article each week entitled the 'Epistles of Peter Snodgrass'.

With these articles he introduced a new format.  Variety was now part of 'The Epistles' and ranged from ancient English to the modern World.  Sometimes, in sorrow, he paid tribute to passing friends.  When neighbouring farmer Bill Pattison died during a busy harvest his headline was, 'We Said Farewell In a Field of Wheat'.  The Epistles were continued during war service and were often treated with great suspicion by Army Censors.  Even during his term as Ambassador to Ireland they continued but now only on monthly occasions.

In 1970 his wife Marjorie, whom he always referred to as 'Calliope' in his writings passed away.  With his sight failing and alone in the world except for his daughter Janet, he married Miss Eileen MeLeod in 1972.  At the time of writing the Robertons are residents of Curtin, A.C.T.

The Pattisons
To win a Stawell gift is the ambition of every Professional sprinter in Australia.  To win 'Stawell', and know in your own heart that you won it, and then see another runner's name go up above your own is little short of heartbreak.  This was the experience of Jack Pattison at Stawell in March, 1951.

Being the good sport that he was, he shrugged his shoulders and in his quiet and easy -going way walked off the track.  But the event didn't end there.  Sports writers from throughout Victoria, and most people present believed the judges decision, based on the newly installed Draper Machine, was incorrect.

Writing in the Melbourne Sun, Sports Writer Frand Bird had this to say.  'After seeing the slow-motion film of Monday's Stawell Gift finish, I am convinced that Gerald Hutchinson struck the tape with his hand and should not have been declared the winner.  The film makes it obvious to me that Jack Pattison, placed second, hit the tape with his chest first and should have been declared the winner.'

The above incident was just one of many in the life of Jack Pattison a member of the Pattison family of Winchendon Vale and Marrar.  The family in general, both boys and girls were noted for their turn of speed and in their schooldays were always backmarkers at the local school picnics.

After several good wins at local sports meetings, well known Coolamon identity, the late Jack Curtis suggested that the two older boys, Jack and Tom, consider the professional side of running.  This advice was to prove sound and when Tom took to the professional trail in 1945 he was placed 2nd in the Wangaratta Gift of that year.  Jack spent another year in the amateur ranks and then came out to win the 1946 Albury and Canberra Gifts.

Again, at the suggestion of Jack Curtis, the two brothers set their sights on the Stawell Gift, the foot running classic of Victoria.  Curtis also arranged for them to train under the guidance of Jack King of Rutherglen.  King specialised in training sprinters, and over the years had trained many talented athletes.  For the next two years it was hard going, but King was confident he had two top sprinters in his camp.  When not at Rutherglen, Tom and Jack trained on their own built track at Marrar.

It was up in the early mornings and again late in the evening.  That year they set their sights on the three main sprinting events in Victoria, Wangaratta, Stawell and Bendigo.  That they didn't achieve the treble was no fault of theirs.

The Australia Day Carnival at Wangaratta was Tom's day and Sporting Writer Frank Bird had this to say.  'Twenty-nine year old 'dark horse' of the Wangaratta Gift field, Tom Pattison, backed this morning to win £800/-/-, burst across the line in the final tonight to a clear two feet victory.  Pattisons win was his first in a major event and he had been training since September.'

The Easter Week Carnivals at Stawell and Bendigo were to be Jacks triumph.  After Stawell's unhappy episode, Jack was determined that Bendigo was going his way.

The Melbourne Sun of April 2, 1951 describes the race in detail.  A crowd of 10,000 people witnessed the start of the Gift, in which Pattison, the favourite, out on nine yards, lost most of his advantage when he faltered at the start.  He was actually headed in the race by Doug Gardiner and with twenty yards to go the dogged little runner was still in front.  In the last 15 yards the powerful Pattison unwound an amazing burst of speed, and with a desperate throw propelled himself through the tape just inches ahead of Gardiner.  It was the effort of a class runner full of determination.

Although they excelled in athletics, farming was always the life of the Pattisons.  In 1972 Tom and Jack won the Riverina Division of the Royal Agricultural Society of N.S.W Field Wheat Championship.  Estimated to yield 50 bushels per acre, the champion crop of Eagle was grown on 'Takada' and represented the Coolamon A. and P. Society.

The sporting events written in this story took place twenty eight years ago.  Today Tom lives close to Marrar and is a successful farmer with a devoted wife and family.  He has represented the people of 'C' Riding in the Coolamon Shire, of which Marrar is a part, since September, 1974.
Sometimes, things are 'just meant to be', and we end this story on a note of sorrow.  Jack, known affectionately to his friends as 'Sharkey' suffered a cerebral haemorrhage and passed away in November, 1975 at the age of 50 years.  A good sportsman and citizen has gone from our midst.

The Cooper School Library
When the Marrar School Parents and Citizens Association decided to name the New School Library the Alice Cooper Library it was in recognition of the service given to the school by its former teacher, Miss Alice Cooper.

Alice Cooper with her mother and other members of her family arrived in Marrar from England in 1912.  Their father had preceded them two years earlier in search of employment.  The dainty, red headed lass, with her soft English complexion, was soon a well known figure around the town.

After completing her studies and passing the necessary examinations she joined the Department of Education as a teacher and was given a Sydney posting.  Always anxious to be near her mother who's health was beginning to fail, she was given an appointment to Yenda and later Methul.  In 1925 she became a member of the Teaching Staff at Marrar, her home town.  In this capacity she was destined to spend the rest of her teaching days.

During her long stay at Marrar the children she taught gained much more instruction and knowledge than that provided in the school curriculum.  Never in the life of the Marrar School has a teacher been regarded with such love and received so much affection as Miss Cooper, received during her 35 years as a teacher at Marrar.

For a long period Miss Cooper also taught in the Anglican Sunday School, having a great influence for good on the children.  It was a happy occasion for her when in October, 1940 St. Francis Church of England was opened in Marrar.  For many years afterwards she acted as Church Organist.

At the beginning of 1961 Miss Cooper resigned from the Education Department.  In recognition of her dedicated services to the school and the town, Marrar citizens tendered her a public farewell and presentation prior to her departure for England.

The rather substantial cash balance she donated back towards the establishment of a school library.  The P. and C. Association decided to name the Library the 'Alice Cooper Library'.  However, Miss Cooper said she would prefer the name to be 'The Cooper Library' to incorporate the members of her family who had also been so closely associated with the life of Marrar.

On her departure for England Miss Cooper said she hoped to return in the near future.  When it was learned she was on her way back arrangements were made to enable her to officially open the library.  At the opening ceremony there was a large attendance of members of the P. and C. Association and other town and district residents, many being former pupils of Miss Cooper.

Mr. F. Eke, Headmaster, presiding, outlined the history of the library movement and added that all would agree that the library was a very appropriate recognition of Miss Coopers valuable work at the school.  It would also commemorate the services of Miss Cooper and the other members of her family to the district.

Prior to cutting the ribbon across the door, Miss Cooper, who was visibly moved by the occasion, said the naming of the library had conferred a great honour on the members of her family and herself.