"Micky" Michael Clarence BROWN
Born 1873 in Perth, Western Australia [15]
Son of John BROWN and Mary HUGHES [193]
Married Alice Amelia READ on 2 November 1898 at the Mission in New Norcia [120: 11-Nov-1898]
Farmer of Moora Dale Farm in Moora and at one time a Hotelkeeper in Moora [19] [120: 110Biv-1898] [193]
Farmer & Grazier of Woopenatty Station in Arrino 1902-1907 [15] [44] [50]
He purchased the station from its original owner Charles CAMPBELL [120: 27-Dec-1928]
During his time the station was listed with the spellings of Woodfanally Station and Woodphenatty Station [50]
He had the stallion Sunbeam available for breeding with mares on Woopenatty in 1904, for the fee of £2/10/- per mare [323]
Sunbeam belonged to Macpherson Bros (George and Donald Macpherson) of Carnamah Station [323: 12-Sep-1904]
He is believed to be the 'Brown' of Macpherson Bros & Brown who had the stallion Prince Alfred at in Carnamah in 1904 [323]
Later sold Woopenatty Station in Arrino to John F. HEARN [120: 27-Dec-1928]
Pastoralist & Farmer in Three Springs [193]
Purchased 5,100 acres near Three Springs from the Midland Railway Company on 13 June 1907 [27] [44]
The 5,100 acres was Lot M365 of Victoria Location 1933 [27] [44]
During the 1907-08 financial year purchased 355 acres near Three Springs from Patrick M. DURACK of Arrino [44]
The 355 acres consisted of Victoria Locations 482, 1354, 1732 and 1759 including Iramba and Womarden springs [44]
In September 1907 he was building a large commodious and comfortable brick house on his Three Springs Estate [9: 27-Sep-1907]
He employed Wilson & Launder to sink a well in early 1908, with them striking good fresh water at a depth of 55 feet [9: 31-Jan-1908]
From 1906 to 1908 leased 33,000 acres of land east of the railway line in Three Springs from the Midland Railway Company [34]
The 33,000 acres consisted of Pastoral Leases 435 (21,000 acres), 436 (4,000 acres) and 442 (8,000 acres) [34]
For the leasehold he paid the Midland Railway Company £42, £16 and £8 per annum for each lease, or a total of £66 [34]
At the end of 1908 ceased leasing the 21,000 acres, and the lease for the 8,000 acres was resumed on 17 June 1909 [34]
The land he had leased became the Midland Railway Company's 9th Subdivision and their first in Three Springs [191]
Continued to lease the 4,000 acres, Pastoral Lease 436, until 1915 [34]
During this period he was also the grazier of Niowidgy or Miawidgie Station about 40 miles east of Three Springs [9]
In 1907 the station was described as having "splendid scenery and a beautiful soak of water... surrounded by caves and cliffs" [9]
A boy from Three Springs who visited the station wrote "the grass is up to your knees and the cattle are rolling fat" [9: 1-Nov-1907]
He sold the station, also described as being east of Carnamah, to Herbert J. LEE STEERE in July 1908 [9: 31-Jul-1908, 14-Jan-1910]
Attended the Midland Railway Company's 9th Subdivision Sale at the Builders & Contractors' Exchange in Perth on 18 June 1909 [39]
The sale was the Company's first of agricultural blocks of virgin bush and townsite blocks in Three Springs [39: 19-Jun-1909]
At the sale he purchased about a third of the land he had previously been leasing [27]
He purchased 10,404 acres in Lots M763, M764, M766, M767 and M768 of Victoria Locations 1932, 1933 and 2022 [27]
Paid 10/-, 4/- 6/-, 9/- and 14/- per acre for the respective blocks, or a total of £3783/13/3, payable by instalments over 15 years [27]
At the sale his brother "Frank" Francis BROWN purchased an adjoining 360 acres in Lot M761 of Victoria Location for £129 [27]
The next day, on 19 June 1909, he and his brother Frank purchased together the 300 acre Lot M762 for £300 [27]
On 1 December 1909 his wife purchased 338 acres in Lot M777 of Victoria Location 1932 for £211/11/3 (12/6 per acre) [27]
Farmer & Grazer of the Three Springs Estate in Three Springs [9: 22-Jul-1910]
His Three Springs Estate consisted of 17,000 acres of freehold land, including many wells and was situated near the railway [9]
The approximately 17,000 acres was presumably the land he acquired in 1907 and 1909 and that owned by his brother and wife [44]
He used the property almost exclusively for the grazing and breeding of sheep and cattle [9: 22-Jul-1910]
Grew approximately 60 acres of crop on his farm in Three Springs in 1910 [9: 17-Jun-1910]
In mid 1910 the Land Purchase Board expressed interest in buying the property, as it could be subdivided into 20 smaller farms [9]
The Land Purchase Board rescinded their purchase of his well known Three Springs Estate in October 1910 [31: 24-Oct-1910]
In 1911 he was the largest farmer in Three Springs and his property was the best watered with multiple soaks [388: 28-Oct-1911]
He had about 6,000 sheep in 1911 [388: 28-Oct-1911]
Foundation President of the Kadathinni Cricket Club in Three Springs in 1909 [9: 20-Aug-1909]
He was the only Justice of the Peace in the Three Springs district in 1910 [9: 23-Sep-1910]
He'd been made a Justice of the Peace for the Swan Magisterial District in July 1908 [39: 14-Jul-1908] [120: 18-Jul-1908]
In partnership with Michael OKES he was also the farmer of Rothesay Station 80 miles east of Three Springs in 1910 [9: 14-Jan-1910]
He was the Postal Vote Officer at Three Springs for the Legislative Council elections held on 13 May 1910 [9: 22-Apr-1910]
R. E. HOURIGAN and Mr TEAGUE of Perth spent a week staying on his Three Springs Estate in November 1910 [31: 23-Nov-1916]
Inaugural Vice President of the Three Springs Race Club in 1910 and 1911 [9: 23-Dec-1910]
In 1911 he was one of the few farmers in Three Springs who had a "really elegant home" [31: 30-Jun-1911]
During the winter of 1911, when the town dam was almost empty, many obtained water from a well on his property [31: 30-Jun-1911]
Member of the Kadathinni Farmers and Progress Association in 1911 [9: 24-Feb-1911]
Steward at the Three Springs Race Club's Inaugural Race Meeting held in Three Springs on Thursday 9 March 1911 [9: 10-Feb-1911]
In mid 1911 he had his Three Springs Estate property subdivided into about thirty agricultural farms [9: 2-Jun-1911]
He decided to reserve all of the wells on the property for the use by all of those who later purchased the thirty farms [9: 2-Jun-1911]
Once done he intended to sell the farms on similar terms and conditions as those used by the Midland Railway Company [9: 2-Jun-1911]
During the 1911-12 financial year he sold 1,130 acres of his and his brother's land in Three Springs to Edmund K. BYRNE [44]
The 1,130 acres consisted of adjoining Lots M761, M762, M763 and M764 of Victoria Location 2022 [44]
He was one of 15 guarantors covering the £300 debt for the new Agricultural Hall in Three Springs in 1912 [9: 12-Jul-1912]
In 1914 the Three Springs townsite obtained all of their water from a well on his property one mile out of town [10: 15-Sep-1914]
"Mickey Brown's Well" a couple of miles from the Perenjori townsite was presumably named after him [31: 4-Jul-1913]
Towards the end of 1915 they left Three Springs and shifted to their farm in Bowgada [9: 5-Nov-1915]
Farmer in Bowgada 1915-1917 [9: 5-Nov-1915] [50]
Father of Louis, Eileen, Josephine, Lily, Michael, Alice, Theresa, Rita, Daphne and "Bob" Frederick [193]
Died 12 November 1917; buried at Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth, Western Australia (Roman Catholic, FC, 386) [2]
The troughing pump and standpipe were removed from the town dam in Three Springs to "Brown's Well" in 1919 [9: 28-Mar-1919]
From The Midlands Advertiser newspaper, Friday 16 November 1917:
Obituary
"Mr Michael C. Brown, late of Three Springs, died in Perth on Tuesday last. The deceased gentleman was well known throughout the Midlands. He was a son of Mr and Mrs John Brown of Moora, and his widow is a daughter of Mr and Mrs W. Read, of Niby Niby, Walebing."
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'Michael Clarence Brown' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 19 December 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/michael-clarence-brown [reference list] |
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