Lot 881

Description

The Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria, a group of medals awarded to Henry Beattie and Henry Beattie & Sons between 1897 and 1905, including; 1) in gold (35mm, 22.7gms) inscribed on reverse 'Henry Beattie/1898' and edge impressed 'Hereford Cow'; 2) in gold (15ct, 15gms, 31mm) with suspension ring, inscribed on reverse 'Henry Beattie/Hereford Cow/1900'; 3) in gold (15ct, 15gms, 31mm) with suspension ring, inscribed on reverse 'Henry Beattie & Sons/Hereford Cow/or Heifer/1902'; 4) in gold (15ct, 15gms, 31mm) with suspension ring, inscribed on reverse 'Henry Beattie & Sons/Hereford Cow/1904'; 5) in silver (47mm, 66gms) undated, inscribed on reverse 'Henry Beattie/ Shropshire Down Ewe'; 6) in silver (47mm, 66gms) inscribed on reverse 'Henry Beattie/Shropshire Down Ram/1893'; 7) in silver (47mm, 66gms) inscribed on reverse 'Henry Beattie/Hereford Heifer/1894'; 8) in silver (36mm, 30.7gms) inscribed on reverse 'Henry Beattie/1897' and edge impressed '2nd Prize Pair of Fat Oxen'; 9) in silver (36mm, 30.7gms) inscribed on reverse 'Henry Beattie/& Sons/1904' and edge impressed '3rd Prize Hereford Bull 4 years Old or Over'. 10) in silver (36mm, 30.7gms) inscribed on reverse 'Henry Beattie/& Sons/1905' and edge impressed inscribed on reverse 'Henry Beattie/& Sons/1905' and edge impressed '3rd Prize Hereford Cow 4 years Old & Over'. Gold medals in presentation cases, extremely fine-uncirculated (10).

Henry Beattie arrived in Victoria from Dumfriesshire, Scotland in 1854. He worked as a general hand on a station at Mt Aitken near Gisborne for two years then as manager for four years. When the station was let in 1860 he started exporting sheep to New Zealand and continued in that business for three years. He then held a small station near the Barwon River and was manager of a station in the Riverina, N.S.W. In 1867 he rented Mt Aitken Station where he ran both cattle and sheep, having one of the best studs of Hereford cattle in the Colonies and a flock of fine Merino sheep imported from Tasmania. He also held 1200 acres freehold at Westernport.