Leslie KEAMY
Born C.1885 [2]
He came to Western Australia with his family from Lebanon [P507]
Storekeeper in Moora in 1909 and 1910 [50]
Secretary of the Annual Bachelor's Ball in Moora in 1909 [9: 16-Jul-1909]
Master of Ceremonies at the Euchre Party & Dance in aid of the local Recreation Reserve in Moora on 10 July 1909 [9: 16-Jul-1909]
Married Ethel May ALLDAY on 9 May 1910 at Saint George's Cathedral in Perth [9: 1-Apr-1910]
His brother Thomas KEAMY was his best man, while one of the two bridesmaids was his sister May KEAMY [9: 1-Apr-1910]
Farmer of Cardo Farm in Watheroo 1910- [39: 29-Jan-1929]
His postal address was Moroa until 1917, but by 1919 had changed to Watheroo [50]
Sold five horses through Dalgety & Company Limited at sales held during the Royal Show in Perth in October 1908: [9: 6-Nov-1908]
draught gelding for £22, bay geldings for £15 and £10/10/-, a chestnut gelding for £27/10/-, and a piebald gelding for £31/10/- [9]
Proprietor of the "Cardo" Merino Stud, which was of pure Koonoona Blood [13]
Requested with the Moora Road Board in December 1917 that they clear the road leading to his property [10: 14-Dec-1917]
In January 1918 stripped a wonderful crop of rust free Currawa wheat from his farm in Watheroo [10: 11-Jan-1918]
Advertised in January 1918 that he had rust proof pure Currawa seed wheat for sale that had been grown on virgin soil [9: 4-Jan-1918]
The Currawa seed wheat was offered for sale above Pool rates, and he was willing to accept other wheats as payment [9: 4-Jan-1918]
The Moora District Railway League wrote to him in May 1922 encouraging him to form a railway league for Watheroo [10: 12-May-1922]
After deciding to reduce his livestock and curtail his farming operations held a clearing sale on his farm on Friday 3 November 1922 [9]
Livestock sold consisted of 700 mixed sheep (mostly shorn ewes and wethers), six Koonoona rams, eight farm horses, [9]
two saddle hack horses, a draught buggy horse, 14 bullocks, a Shorthorn bull, Jersey bull, Jersey cow, and six dairy cows [9]
Plant and machinery sold at the sale included a 5-foot Sunshine harvester, 6-foot Sunshine harvester, 6-foot Noxon binder, [9]
two spring tooth cultivators, two disc harrows, 3-foot Shearer M.B. plough, 4-foot Sunshine disc plough, set of 4-leaf harrows, [9]
15-disc Massey-Harris drill, 5-ton Fairclough wagon, 16-horsepower oil engine, Hindmarsh chaffcutter, Perfection seed grader, [9]
6-ton Tregurtha & Huges wagon, Smith corn crusher, Daniel White tip dray, double seated buggy, King of the Road sulky, [9]
harness set for sulky, harness set for buggy, two riding saddles, two cart saddles, 16-horsepower oil engine, and harnesses [9]
Also sold household items, including a Kirkman piano, enamel iron bath, and a large quantity of furniture and sundries [9: 27-Oct-1922]
During March 1923 he advertised for sale by cash or terms 12 good farm mares and geldings and a quantity of machinery [9]
Some of the machinery appears to have been what hadn't sold at his clearing sale the previous November, comprising of [9]
a 5-ton wagon, Perfection seed grader, Smith corn crusher with bagger, 6-horsepower Waterloo engine, [9]
3-knife Hindmarsh chaffcutter, 4-furrow disc plough, 3-furrow Shearer M.B. plough, I.H.C. spring tooth cultivator, [9]
and also a new Oak 6-foot extension dining table and a Kirkman of London piano in good order [9: 16-Mar-1923]
In 1924-25 and 1925-26 he owned a Ford car with number-plate M-50 licensed with the Moora Road Board [325]
From 1926-27 he then had an Oldsmobile car with the same M-50 plate and also a Ford truck with plate M-25 [325]
He was serving as a member of the Moora Road Board in 1930 [12: 2-Oct-1930]
Committee Member of the Midland Districts Stockbreeders' Association in 1930 [12: 2-Oct-1930]
Council Member of the Moora Agricultural Society in 1930 [12: 2-Oct-1930]
Committee Member of the Moora District Hospital in in 1930 [12: 2-Oct-1930]
Won three 1st and one 2nd prize in the Border Leicester portion of the Sheep section at the Moora Show in 1932 [5: 7-Oct-1932]
Attended "The Official Dinner" of the Three Springs Agricultural Show on the evening of Thursday 22 September 1932 [5: 7-Oct-1932]
In 1932 donated a Border Leicester Ram to the Carnamah Cancer Ray Appeal Committee to help them raise funds [5: 21-Oct-1932]
He also donated three ewes to the Three Springs branch of the Country Women's Association for the Cancer Ray [5: 11-Nov-1932]
Assistant Chairman of a meeting on the Wheat Hold-up question at the Moora Town Hall on Saturday 26 November 1932 [5: 9-Dec-1932]
On 28 November 1932 during harvest operations with a horse team a fire broke out in a paddock of wheat on his farm [5]
The fire was the first ever experienced on Cardo and destroyed a small amount of crop and 200 acres of feed [5: 2-Dec-1932]
On 13 December 1932 he wrote a letter about the Wheat Hold-up to The Midlands Advocate newspaper [5: 16-Dec-1932]
Member and Branch Delegate of the Watheroo branch of the Wheat Growers' Union in 1933 [5: 3-Feb-1933]
Patron of the Three Springs Agricultural Society 1933-1935 and in 1937 [5: 26-May-1933, 17-May-1935, 25-Mar-1937]
Vice Patron 1933-1947 and Financial Member 1937-1940 of the Carnamah District Agricultural Society [13] [58]
Advertised his Merino Stud annually in the show schedules of the Carnamah District Agricultural Society [13]
Sold 10 of his Border Leicester 1934 drop rams and 15 Corriedale 1933 drop rams at a sale in Carnamah on 20/09/1935 [5: 6-Sep-1935]
Donated a Cup for the Sheep section of the Carnamah District Agricultural Society's Annual Shows from 1935 to 1939 [5: 28-Jun-1935] [13]
Attended the Carnamah District Agricultural Society's Annual Show in Carnamah on Thursday 12 September 1935 [5: 20-Sep-1935]
Attended the funeral of Carnamah agent William B. SHERIDAN at the Winchester Cemetery on 27 January 1936 [5: 31-Jan-1936]
Invited to judge the Merino sheep section at the Coorow-Waddy Forest Districts Agricultural Society's 1936 Annual Show [5: 12-Jun-1936]
Exhibited in the Wool and Sheep sections of the Carnamah Agricultural Show at Centenary Park, Carnamah on 10 September 1936 [5]
Won 1st prizes in the Wool section for Two Strong Wool Merino Fleeces and Two Medium Wool Merino Fleeces [5]
In the Sheep section won 1st prize for Merino Ewe over 1½ years and under 2½ years - which was also the Champion Ewe [5]
Also won 1st prizes WA bred Merino Ram over 2½ years, Merino Ram under 1½ years, and Merino Ewe under 1½ years [5]
Concluded his winning with a 2nd prize for Merino Ram over 2½ years [5: 11 & 18-Sep-1936]
He was "particularly successful" in the Sheep section at the Three Springs Agricultural Show on Thursday 17 September 1936 [5]
Claude E. MALEY and TURNER Bros of Arrino also did well in the Sheep section but both had his Cardo sheep in their flocks [5]
Among his exhibits was the Champion Ram, Reserve Champion Ram, Champion Ewe and Reserve Champion Ewe [5]
Won 1st and 2nd prizes for Strong Wool Merino Ram over 1½ years, WA bred Strong Wool Merino Ram under 1½ years, [5]
and WA bred Strong Wool Merino Ewe over 1½ years; and 1st prizes for WA bred Strong Wool Merino Ewe under 1½ years, [5]
Strong Wool Merino Ram of any age and Medium Wool Merino Ram of any age; and 2nd prizes for Border Leicester ram, [5]
WA bred Medium Wool Merino Ram of any age, and Pen of Three Merino Ewes and Ram of Strong Wool and over 1½ years [5]
Exhibited in the Wool section winning 1st for Strong Wool Merino Fleeces, and 1st and 2nd for Medium Wool Merino Fleeces [5]
At the Show Ball he was presented with the President's Trophy and the Lynch Cup [5: 25-Sep-1936]
Sold sheep at the North Midlands Stud Stockbreeders Association's First Annual Sale in Carnamah on 18 September 1936 [5]
In the Merino section of the sale he offered for sale "15 Selected and Flock Rams" [5: 4-Sep-1936]
Won the Reserve Champion ribbon for Border Leicester Ram at the Perth Royal Show in early October 1936 [5: 30-Oct-1936]
Sold 32 bales of wool through Elder Smith & Co Ltd at the Wool Sale held at Pastoral House in Perth on 5 October 1936: [5: 16-Oct-1936]
11 bales at 16d., 1 at 15¼d., 2 at 14½d., 2 at 14d., 4 at 13¾, 4 at 13½, 4 at 13¼, 1 at 13d., 2 at 12½d., 1 at 12d. per pound [5]
He passed through Carnamah on his way to Geraldton during the last week of January 1937 [5: 5-Feb-1937]
Donated trophies for the Sheep and Flower sections of the Coorow-Waddy Forest Districts Agricultural Society's Show in 1937 [150]
800 acres of his Cardo Farm in Watheroo was share-farmed by Eric F. SMART in 1937 [39: 3-Dec-1937]
During harvest in 1937 achieved the feat of harvesting 480 bags of Ford wheat in one day from grass country on Cardo [39: 3-Dec-1937]
He also impressively transported 1,200 bags of wheat 17 miles to the railway siding in one day, using four trucks [39: 3-Dec-1937]
Patron 1939-1948 and Financial Member 1946-1947 of the Three Springs Agricultural Society [262]
In 1939 his Cardo Stud was claimed to be "The Sheep for the Midlands" [13]
He could be contacted by telephone in 1940, on number Moora-90 or Watheroo-3 [13]
In 1939 his advertisements summarised his stud as having "Large Frames, Plain Bodies, Strong Constitutions, Heavy Cutters" [13]
Donated 10/6 to the Carnamah District Agricultural Society in 1940 [13]
The following advertisement appeared in the schedule of the Carnamah District Agricultural Society's Victory Show in 1945 [13]
"Cardo" Merino Stud - The sheep that have given full satisfaction all over the State for the past thirty years. [13]
The "Cardo" Clip was referred to by the appraisers as one of the most stylish clips that comes on the floor. [13]
Border Leicesters - The correct rams to mate with the Merino ewe for fat lamb breeding and also for producing [13]
the best Crossbread ewe. The "Benadel" Border Leicester Stud is the Premier Stud of the West [13]
Inquiries from L. Keamy, Watheroo or Associated Stock Agents[13]
Donated the "L. Keamy & Son Trophy" to the Three Springs Agricultural Society in 1946 and 1947 [262]
His trophy was awarded to the exhibitor gaining the most points in the sheep section at the Three Springs Show [262]
Advertised his Benadel Border Leicester ewes and Cardo Merino rams in the Schedule of the 1947 Carnamah Show [13]
Later resided in the Perth suburb of Dalkeith [2]
Died 12 February 1957; ashes buried at the Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth, Western Australia (Anglican, MA, 271) [2]
When he passed away he was said to be the largest owner of agricultural farming land in Western Australia [P507]
All of his farmland was sold to pay probate on his estate, except for his Cardo Farm in Watheroo [P507]
From The Pastoral Review and Graziers' Record, 16 March 1957:
Mr Leslie Keamy, who died at sea on board the Arcadia between Fremantle and Adelaide on 12th February, was a well-known personality in Western Australia and a prominent stud sheep breeder, particularly of Merinos. He was born in Lebanon and came to Australia with his parents as a child.
As a young man Mr Keamy opened a storekeeping business at Moora and later took up 500 acres of land at Watheroo. He cleared this area himself and developed it into a fine property of 15,000 acres known as Cardo. In addition, he held interests at Yarraquin and Austin Downs Stations at Cue. In 1917 Mr Keamy founded the Cardo Merino stud with purchases from Koonoona, S. Aust., and the work he did in breeding stud Merinos, as well as Border Leicesters, was of State-wide value. It also did much to assist the development of the district, of which Moora is the centre.
Throughout his life Mr Keamy made outstanding contributions to the development of the Midlands and to the pastoral holdings in which he was interested and he gave his full support to any movement for the progress and development of Western Australia.
Mr Keamy, who was 72, leaves a widow, a son, and five daughters; in addition, he leaves a very wide circle of friends and business associates by whom he will be remembered with affection and respect."
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'Leslie Keamy' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 19 December 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/leslie-keamy [reference list] |
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