>> Go Back - page 0 - >> List of Entriess
Both men came from Ballarat, Victoria, families and Alfred married George’s second daughter, Louisa, in Brisbane
on 25 November 1886.
Stan’s two older brothers were born at places marking the progress northward of the OT line construction:
Aubrey at Stanthorpe, Queensland, and Harold at Millchester near Charters Towers. The construction work moving
further north made it appropriate for Mrs Louisa Brown to be in Melbourne for her next confinement, which was
Stan’s birth. His younger siblings were born in Charters Towers where Stan grew up. His father spent the non-
construction periods at The Towers (as it was known) as mining broker, electrician, blacksmith, and cyanider.
Stan went to high school, was a member of the Charters Towers Choir and engaged in cricket, football, athletics
and boxing, winning a weight championship. He was fair haired and blue eyed with a direct gaze, about 1.7 metres
(5 feet 7 inches) in height, with a strong muscular build. Even in his 80s his physique retained the appearance of
strength with no muscular wasting.
In 1912 Stan Brown gained the position of Survey Clerk—Stenographer, Survey Department in Darwin in the
Northern Territory Commonwealth Administration, Department of External Affairs, at its inception. He arrived on
the steamship Mataram on 22 October 1912. A contemporary as a personable young man described him. This was
the first Commonwealth Survey Office in the Northern Territory and was headed by the Chief Surveyor, Theo Day,
recruited from South Australia. Stan’s position was to provide the support services. His duties were typing the
correspondence, memos, instructions to the surveyors and their reports, assisting in the research of historical
survey data and collation of records, and in the preparation of the annual report which had as a last item, a brief to
the Administrator on activities from the time of the first settlement. For the Chief Surveyor he organised supplies
and transport for the parties in the field. In 1913 he accompanied Theo Day on an inspection of the Marrakai side
of Adelaide River via Fred’s Pass Road.
In the Northern Territory Times and Gazette of 5 December 1912 the name ‘Brown W S’ appears in the column
‘Pine Creek Sports—Handicaps’. The subsequent Pine Creek Sports Meeting 27 December listed ‘W S Brown’
winning the Maiden Race 100 yards (91.44m), the Open Handicap, and with Muggleton, the Siamese Race.
This commenced his recorded activities in sports in the Northern Territory and the participation with Muggleton
initiated his pastoral interest. His participation and achievements in athletics, boxing, cricket and football continued
until his departure from Darwin in 1916. He esteemed highly his 100 yards championship gold medal won on
26 December 1913 at the Pine Creek Sports meeting. The probability of his winning a first or second in the heats
or finals was reflected in the frequency of his appearance in the Ladies Nomination. The advent of workers for the
Vesteys enterprise increased the competition.
Stan participated in social events and was active in the Northern Territory Public Service Association (NTPSA)
that, in 1914, addressed the lack of status of South Australian Government transferees and Northern Territory
Public Service Officers, and accommodation for single employees. He was a member of the sub-committee
appointed to investigate the site of the Darwin Baths. He gave generously to the Red Cross Fund. In his Government
employment he arranged the leases for Vestey Bros to establish the Darwin Meatworks under the support of the
Imperial government. From the time of his arrival in Darwin Stan took an active interest in the livestock and
agriculture industries telling his nephews 50 years later that J C Lewis, Chief Veterinary Officer, in 1912 identified
puffs (anhydrosis or dry coat) and addressed swamp cancer in horses. He referred to the early annual reports
and also to veterinary surgeon, J F McEachran. It was at the latter’s farewell in July 1915, at a function of the
NTPSA, where there were many toasts and tributes that Mr SW Brown, by the arranged programme, proposed the
toast to ‘The Ladies’. In after hours or weekend veterinary surgery or treatment of livestock Stan was a willing
participant.
The revival of the Northern Territory Racing Club occurred with the notice of a meeting in the Northern
Territory Times and Gazette of 8 April 1915 signed ‘STAN BROWN Hon Sec pro. tem’. He had a number of horses
such as Warwick, Morgan and Sleep. He rode his own horses as well as those for others. His friend, Muggleton,
shared the riding and appears to have brought the horses from his property, Dorisvale.
In 1913 Stan Brown was granted Grazing Licence (GL) 23 over an area of land on Fred Bradshaw Creek,
which he called Dorisvale after his sister. This is shown on Surveyor Arthur Briggs’ 1915 plan. At that time there
were no Aborigines in the area. In 1916 he applied for a pastoral lease over the property. The Administrator,
Gilruth, said that he, Brown, ‘should be at the War’. Stan responded by saying that he had volunteered for the
First Contingent under Captain R J Lewis (who was farewelled on 22 April 1915 and later killed in action in
France) but he had failed the medical examination and he tendered the medical certificate. Stan again volunteered
and again failed the medical examination. He was finally granted Pastoral Lease (PL) 2265 of 518 square kilometres
over the area of GL23. He then proceeded to the Florrie Springs (Waterloo area) via Willeroo and Wave Hill
where he met Joe Brown (the Desert Rat) from Central Mount Stuart. At Florrie Springs Stan purchased from
Mulga Jim Macdonald 600 shorthorn cows, heifers and weaners and returned with them to Dorisvale via Auvergne
and Timber Creek and the Bradshaw track.
Muggleton and his two nephews subcontracted on the Pine Creek—Emungalen railway construction in 1917.
To draw their earth scoops they used black draught horses. Stan used the mares retired from this work with
his thoroughbred stallion (Whiskers) and Timor ponies to produce a quality stockhorse suited to the Top End.
The Dorisvale brand was UTN and the majority of Police horses at Pine Creek and Katherine in the 1920s were
UTN purchased from Stan Brown. On occasions, as a gift Stan would present one of his horses. A Dorisvale
bullock appearing in a neighbouring cattle station’s muster was readily recognised due to its stature above the other
cattle and its docility.
In the early 1920s the Collah tin field above Fish River was established. He took bullocks there via Emu Creek,
Jinduckin and Hungry Knob passing westward over the escarpment dropping down to Coolah where he conducted