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RAIOLA: see RRAIWALARAIWALA: see RRAIWALARAIWALLA: see RRAIWALARAGGATT, FRED (1860–1946), teamster, storekeeper and pastoralist, was born in Gloucestershire, England.
His family were farmers in Somerset.
Raggatt left England for South Australia in 1872. Upon his arrival, he was employed as a teamster on the
Overland Telegraph Line, carting metal poles that were used to replace existing timber poles. Eventually, Raggatt
formed a team of his own, continuing to work for the Overland Telegraph on a contract basis.
When the Overland Telegraph re-poling was completed, Raggatt settled in Alice Springs, opening a general
store on the corner of Parsons and Todd streets. It was described as ‘a little log cabin store’, and, under different
ownership, was still in use in 1936.
When gold was discovered at Arltunga, Raggatt was quick to open a second store there. For the short time
of the ‘rush’, he did a roaring trade and, as a result, was able to acquire a sizeable portion of Wallis Fogarty and
Company. The company eventually took over Raggatt’s stores, at the turn of the century, as he moved into the
pastoral industry, taking up Glen Helen in 1901.
Although Raggatt was not experienced in the pastoral industry, a combination of good seasons and strong cattle
saw twenty very prosperous years on Glen Helen.
The 1927–30 drought caused the downfall of Raggatt’s operation. He had gone into partnership with George Tucker,
and together they bought approximately five hundred breeding cattle, and some sheep. Raggatt incurred several
expenses through breaking his leg, and as a result, could not afford to provide necessary water improvements. The
sheep venture subsequently failed, and Raggatt decided to sell. The cattle, which remained on the property, formed
the nucleus of the present-day cattle herd on Glen Helen.
Raggatt was married at Adelaide in 1902, but his wife Anne Beatrice, nee Cluney, died of typhoid in 1903,
six months after the birth of their only child, Molly. She was buried in the George Crescent cemetery in Alice Springs.
Raggatt was noted for his peculiar habit of keeping tin cans, because he ‘didn’t want the blacks getting hold of
them and then coming back for more’. After 30 years, there was quite a collection of tin cans to his name!
Raggatt was very set in his ways, and had a frugal nature—the homestead, which he built against advice from
others, including the builder, only just outlasted his stay on Glen Helen.
Fred Raggatt died on 28 August 1946 at his home in Strathalbyn, South Australia, aged 86. His daughter Molly
survived him.
B Bowman, The Glen Helen Story, 1985; A V Purvis, A Town Named Stuart, Now Alice Springs, nd; J Petrick, Street Names Tell History, nd.
JOSE PETRICK, Vol 1.RAWLINS, THOMAS HENRY (TOM) (1897–1978), stockman and bush battler, was born on 29 December
1897 to Edwin Rawlins and Margaret, nee Oliver, at Cockburn, South Australia, the sixth of nine children. He left
school at 13 to work as buggy-boy for mailman Andrew Smith. In Queensland, at 18 years of age, he became head
stockman of Tallawanta, an outstation of Lorraine. He drove cattle down the Diamantina, Coopers Creek and the
Birdsville Track, first with a station plant, later as contract drover.
At Mt Eba in South Australia he met Dorothy Headon of Adelaide. They were married at Cloncurry in 1935,
and bought Minetta, a small farm near Adelaide. Their only child, a girl, was born in 1936. In 1938, they moved
to Tempe Downs in Central Australia to manage for F A (Arthur) Hince, taking over from Bryan Bowman.
In 1940, they spent a year on Mt Peake Station, owned by the widowed Mrs Mary Adams (later to become
Mrs C V Stevenson), a daughter of the original Hayes family of Undoolya.
The year 1941 found them at Renners Rock with its owners, Bob Buck and Alf Butler, financing the setting up
of Mt Quinn. Here Rawlins sank a well and built a log cabin that was later to be much photographed by tourists
travelling between Alice Springs and Ayers Rock with Len Tuit. Then came the death of Gus Elliot, who had
named Rawlins as preferred manager for Horseshoe Bend. The family lived there until Mrs Elliot decided to marry
Claude Golder.
Rawlins enlisted for armed service in 1942 and served at Adelaide River until discharged in mid 1944 to manage
Willowra for Wickham and Davis, who faced court charges. Next came Wilbeah, a grazing licence between Angas
Downs and Curtin Springs. When a formation of salt resembling cotton wool appeared on the sides of a well he
was sinking, Rawlins decided to leave Wilbeah, selling the cattle he had agisted on Mt Connor to S Stanes of
Erldunda. The family returned to Ti Tree Well by camel wagon in 1946 and obtained a 1.2 hectare block north of
the old store to build a mud walled home. With Wickham, who had sold Willowra, Rawlins applied unsuccessfully
for pastoral blocks offered for ballot. Wickham later drew Ooratippra block with K M (Rex) Hall.
Rawlins worked yard building at Stirling Station, where W S (Stan) Brown offered him a share-farming deal
on an area near Mt Tops. In 1948 Rawlins sank a well to over seventy feet, built a yard and the mud walls of a