Harry Redford - Captain Starlight?

By

John Deckert

I recently noticed a club magazine photo taken in the Longreach area of a lagoon near Starlight's Lookout. The caption claimed Starlight was an outlaw of the area. Starlight was actually the lead character in Rolf Boldrewood's classic novel 'Robbery Under Arms' originally written as a weekly serial in the Sydney Mail between 1882 and 1883. Boldrewood was the name used by Thomas Alexander Browne, JP, who at the time of writing was a police magistrate and mining warden at Dubbo. It is widely believed that he based Starlight on the real life story of Harry Redford, drover, pioneer, bushman and cattle thief. This is his story.

Cattle duffing was very common, in fact many small farmers made a regular (almost honest) living by rounding up stray cattle, changing brands or branding cleanskins, and using them to stock their own properties. Most of these men later became respected members of the community and their cattle duffing enterprises soon forgotten. Redford may have joined their ranks if he had been any sort of ordinary cattle duffer. However, his plan was so outrageously bold and requiring such skill and daring that it was to go down in history as one of Australia's most remarkable cattle duffing exploits.

In early 1870 Redford recruited four men and started work on a set of cattle yards set in a secluded gully leading to the Thompson River. Mustering of small mobs of cattle from remote areas of Bowen Downs started in earnest. When cattle numbers in the Thompson River yards reached about 300 they were then driven about 25 miles south to a small property owned by Forrester.

It was while droving one of these mobs that Redford included a white pedigreed stud bull in the mob; a bull imported from England, with quite distinctive markings and brands. About 1,000 cattle were stolen and plans made to drive them overland to South Australia. Two of Redford's men refused to accompany him on this trek through largely unexplored country.

The drive is reputed to have started from a point 25 miles North West of Isisford, the mob being split into three parts to avoid a dust cloud which may have aroused suspicion. The mobs followed the Barcoo river down to its junction with the Cooper, staying on the North side of the Cooper, crossing at a point very close to the depot of the ill fated Burke and Wills expedition of some 10 years earlier.

The opening months of 1870 were very wet and Redford assumed plenty of feed would be available. Flooding down Strzelecki Creek had left it knee deep with lush pasture and the 40 odd waterholes were alive with game. By June 1870 the group came to Artrocoona Native Well some 800 miles from their starting point, and close to Hill Hill station, the first habitation they had seen. Redford was running short of supplies, so he spoke to Alan Walke, a store keeper near the station, and introduced himself as Henry Collins whose brother owned a property in Outback Queensland.

By this time the stock had been missed and three Bowen Downs stockmen were already well down the Cooper on the trail of the mob. They arrived at Artracoona Native Well and soon found Walke who showed them the white bull and presented receipts from Henry Collins. By the time they reached Blanchwater Station most of the cattle had already been sold through the Adelaide saleyards, however enough evidence was discovered and warrants for the arrest of those involved were issued.

The men who helped Redford were soon arrested and brought to trial at Roma. As was often the case with cattle stealing trials, the local people had a great deal of sympathy for the cattle duffers, and verdicts of "not guilty" were recorded in all cases.

Redford was arrested in January 1872 and taken to Blackall to await trial. After a lengthy remand and bail period the trial finally started on February 11, 1873 at the Roma Court House. Although evidence was quite conclusive and the judge directed strongly for a conviction the jury brought in a verdict of "not guilty". A stunned and angry judge said "I thank God that verdict is yours, gentlemen and not mine."

In the ensuing furore within the community, letters were written, petitions signed and newspapers featured editorials, all protesting at the blatant miscarriage of justice. Public opinion was so intense that the Executive Council of the Queensland Government cancelled the criminal jurisdiction of the Roma court for two years.

Harry Redford later spent 18 months in jail for stealing a horse. He seems to have seen the error of his ways and went droving in the Gulf Country. Redford drove the first mob of cattle to Brunette Downs, a huge property on the Barkly Tablelands of the Northern Territory. He was also the first manager of Brunette Downs but later went on to purchase Corella Downs, a small property to the north west. After loosing the property through drought, Redford decided to look for new grazing properties in Central Australia. He set out in March 1901 and although a strong swimmer, Redford drowned in Corella Creek a few days later.

Although it was the dubious criminal activity of Redford's that made him famous, one can admire some of his achievements. Redford was probably one of the first pioneers of the lower Cooper Creek and definitely the first to overland cattle down Strzelecki Creek (John Conrick had taken 200 horses down Strzelecki Creek the previous year). Many properties throughout the Top End owed their existence to his ability as a great drover, and his drives of the early 1880's from the Atherton Tableland to Dubbo are only rivalled by two other great drovers of the North, Patrick Durack and Nat Buchanan.