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a butchering business. The ascent of the eastern face of the scarp near Lillawabba Creek was like a ramp with
the passage close to a ring of stones. He realised that they were of tribal significance to the family he employed
(they suggested the route). He did not intrude. Fifty years later he did suggest the use of the ring of stones with
the rock wallaby and eagle of the locality as the Territory coat-of-arms. At this time he re-located this site with
Nipper Jinga of the original family. A number of photographs were taken and these were used in the Upper Daly
Land Claim. When a youth, Nipper was known as Emu and while on a visit to Brocks Creek an attack was made
on him to remove his kidney fat. Fortuitous intervention averted critical injury and Stan later removed the stick that
held together the sides of the wound and closed it with saddler’s hemp disinfected with a Condy’s crystals wash,
then a popular remedy in the outback.
At Dorisvale anyone was welcome and when Stan had to leave for a period to tend his stock or do business in
town he would say, ‘you know where everything is kept, I shall see you on my return’. One guest was Jack D, who,
in a state of depression and being alone, took his own life using Stan’s revolver. Jack was lying by the kitchen table
minded by two cattle dogs. No one could touch Jack’s body until Stan’s return. There was Jack’s note under the
sauce bottle on the table. Stan realised then that he should never have left him on his own.
David Byers, the manager of Bradshaws Run, was returning with his head-stockman, Jim Ford, and their laden
packhorses. He was suffering from malaria. Stan gave them early breakfast of bacon and eggs. After the dinner
camp (midday stop) the manager told the head stockman to take the plant on to the station and that he, Byers,
would catch up after his rest. David Byers did not arrive and no trace could be found, neither of him nor his horse
and saddle by the many searchers. Jim Ford was ostracised for leaving a sick man on his own in the bush, and he
was compelled to leave the district. It was some years later that Stan realised that one does not serve a fatty meal
to one suffering from malaria.
Sue Fan and Brother were the butchers at Pine Creek to whom Stan sold his bullocks. On one occasion he
purchased from them about 40 bullocks that came from further north, the condition of which had fallen away.
He kept them for a wet season and resold them to Gilbert Sue Fan.
On 20 July 1928 the Northern Territory Times reported: ‘In the Supreme Court on Wednesday before
Mr Justice Mallam, Frederick Martin, David May and Jack Gordon, labourers and William Stanley Brown were
charged’ with cattle stealing. It was reported that there was no case against Jack Gordon and he was discharged.
The case was also reported in the Melbourne Argus: ‘The 12 day trial of the charges of cattle stealing against
William Stanley Brown, pastoralist, and Frederick Martin and David May, ended today. All were found guilty;
Brown was sentenced to two and a half years’ imprisonment and ordered to pay 75 Pounds costs. Martin was
sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, and May to nine months’.
When Darrell Lewis, Northern Territory co-author of Beyond the Big Run, was asked to research the incident
he commented that ‘of the papers researched probably the best item is a petition signed by numerous Darwin
and Pine Creek residents asking that Stan Brown be given a retrial, this time in front of a jury. I notice that this
petition does not mention the others who were convicted along with Brown. It seems to me that the Top End locals
must have known that Stan Brown got a raw deal and were therefore motivated to get the petition going. I do not
know whether Brown served all of his time, but he certainly served some of it as he was in gaol when this petition
was presented. I believe that trial by jury was re-introduced by about 1930; so this petition may have had some
benefit, if not for Brown’. Acknowledging receipt of the petition the Acting Secretary of the Attorney General’s
Department wrote, ‘I am in receipt of your minute of 9 October forwarding petition from the residents of North
Australia praying for a re-trial before a Judge and Jury of William Stanley Brown who is at present undergoing
imprisonment for receiving stolen (unbranded) cattle. It is not within the competence of His Excellency to order
a new trial. There is a further difficulty in the Observance of Law Ordinance 1921 which provides that the trial
on indictment of any offences against any law of the Northern Territory, other than an offence for which the
punishment is death, shall be a Judge without a jury. It does not appear, therefore, that any action can be taken on
this petition. I note that it has been suggested by the Crown Law Officer that the petition may be considered as
one for remission of sentence. I do not think that is so in view of the very definite nature of the player contained
in paragraph 5 of the petition which is that His Excellency will command that a new trial before a Judge and Jury
be held’.
Stan had earlier applied for addition on his western boundary (which he formerly held as GL41) to his original
PL 2265 (renumbered in 1927 and became PL150N) without success. About the period 1930 to 1934 pastoral lessees
in the Territory found it extremely difficult to pay their rents. In 1932 Dorisvale was transferred to George Stevens,
butcher and grazier of Pine Creek. Late in 1933 Stevens submitted, among other things, in an appeal against a
resumption notice for part of Dorisvale held under Pastoral Lease 150N), that no area under 1 000 square miles
(2 590 square kilometres) at least is of any use for breeding cattle in the Northern Territory.
In 1932 Stan had taken cattle to Ti Tree Station for agistment under an arrangement with Bill Heffernan, and
in 1933 he secured his first Grazing Licence in Central Australia. It was numbered GL 718 and in 1940 together
with GL784 was converted to PL 374. He had had great difficulty in obtaining the latter grazing licence and
Dalgety and Company made representations on his behalf to Canberra in 1935. At the time the Company stated to
the Secretary of the Department of the interior, Canberra, that men of this calibre were worthy of better treatment.
In the meantime Stan was sending bullocks to the Adelaide market via the Alice Springs railhead. His address was
‘OT Line, Ti Tree Well’ or ‘OT Line Barrow Creek’, then ‘William S Brown, Overflow Station via Ti Tree Well,
Alice Springs.’ Conditions were austere and he cured his beef in finely cut strips dried in the sun, and there was
neither tea nor sugar. He was a non-smoker and non-drinker. His early location was on the Hanson Creek flood out
at the Mud Hut, near what is Numagalong on the map. Stan gained a third, GL 807 on 9 August 1940.