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the first Commissioner to come through the ranks of the Northern Territory Police). Bowie had several spells of
relieving duties as Superintendent, Deputy Commissioner and Commissioner after 1964, when Clive Graham was
absent from the Territory.
In 1966, following the early retirement of Graham, Syd Bowie applied for the top job. Although he was
unsuccessful, he was temporarily appointed as Commissioner of the Northern Territory Police on 7 September 1966,
until the Commissioner-elect, W J McLaren from Victoria, took over on 21 March 1967.
Bowie reverted back to Superintendent, where he remained until his retirement, on medical grounds,
in September 1971.
Sydney James Bowie was awarded the Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in October 1965, and in
July 1971, just prior to his official retirement, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire
(MBE) for public service.
Northern Territory Police records.
GLENYS SIMPSON, Vol 3.
BOWMAN, BRYAN (1902–1993), pastoralist, tourism pioneer, businessman and author, was born on
19 October 1902 at Clare, South Australia, son of Hubert Bowman (1863–1914), pastoralist, and his wife Rose,
nee Read, who died in 1955. He was a brother of Nigel Hubert (Pete) Bowman (1908–1987). Grandfather Edmund
Bowman (1818–1866) was one of nine children who emigrated to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) from the
Cumberland regions of England with parents John and Anne in 1829. After 10 years of farming and pastoral
pursuits, the hard working and close knit large family prospered.
The South Australian history of the Bowman family began in 1838 when Edmund (aged 20) sailed across to
Port Misery (Adelaide) to report on the viability and prospects of the fledgling colony. To quickly and fully cover
all aspects and opportunities, Edmund joined a government survey team, thus taking a paid and accurate advantage
to report back to the family.
The family being most impressed, decided to move their resources to South Australia. Edmund, with horses,
dray, timber and sheep returned in 1839, where he leased land at Islington. Further land was secured at Barton
Vale (later part of Enfield). As the inner area of Adelaide expanded, the Bowmans extended their grazing and land
holdings to the outer regions of the colony.
The decade of the 1850s saw the family fortunes and extended land holdings well consolidated. The district of
Bowman of today bears witness to former properties. Crystal Brook, Yorke Peninsula, Burra Burra, Wakefield and
Andamooka regions were all at one time progressively grazed by Bowman stock.
In 1878 work commenced on building a mansion on the Martindale leases. Martindale Hall became a great
social centre, with horse racing, polo and the English style hunts being enjoyed. However with some extravagance
and some bad seasons, the family lost its main properties and Martindale was sold to William Tennant Mortlock
in 1891.
With a run of good seasons, hard work and some of the family Merino sheep the two brothers Charles and
Hubert gained a measure of financial security within the next few years. In 1900 they acquired the leases of the
Mount Bryan and Hill River stations which they had been managing. By 1908 they had purchased the Mount Bryan
property outright. Hubert bought a market garden block in Penwortham in 1911 where he died in 1914 leaving his
wife Rose and two sons Bryan and Nigel Hubert (Pete).
Bryan attended the Clare State School while his father was managing the Hill River property but when they
moved to the fruit and market garden block in 1911 he attended the closer Sevenhills School. Following his
father’s death in 1914, his mother carried on the property but sold out after the cessation of the 1914–1918 war and
moved to Adelaide. While in Adelaide Bryan attended the Prince Alfred College for two years.
On leaving school, he obtained work on Kudlunga stud property near Mintaro for 12 months. Bryan first came
to the Northern Territory in 1921 when John Lewis offered him a job with his Newcastle Waters droving plant.
Under Boss Drover, E P Tapp, 1400 head of cattle were driven from Newcastle Waters to Oodnadatta by midyear,
then entrained to Lewis’ southern properties.
After a period of stock work on Dalhousie Springs he worked for Sir Sidney Kidman until 1926. Bryan then
left stock work for a while and obtained work on a tramp steamer and enjoyed a working holiday around the
world.
For a while Bryan tried city life but soon realised that he was not suited and went back to stock work. While on
Billeroo station in the north east of South Australia the owner Robert Crawford took over Tempe Downs in the
Northern Territory and sent Bryan up to manage it in May 1930. Following Crawford’s death his accountant,
F A Hince, formed a partnership with Bryan in mid 1933 and they bought Tempe Downs from the family estate.
Bryan’s eight years on Tempe proved to be a happy period of his life. He bought a second hand AJS motorcycle
with sidecar, which became invaluable in the management of the vast and rugged property. On the extreme western
boundary he found the remains of a heavy wagon and its contents, which had been abandoned by the F R George
geological expedition of 1906.
With Bryan as the working partner the property started to show a good return. By 1938, he was in a position
to make an offer to either buy his partner out or sell his own share. Hince bought Bryan out and with a small loan
from Goldsbrough Mort, he bought Glen Helen station from the elderly Fred Raggatt.
When Bryan took over Glen Helen in August 1938, the property was in part drought condition and hardly
workable. Having only seven stock horses, he bought a small number from Johnson Breadon of Middleton Ponds.
With much work and a good general rainfall the year of 1939 proved to be financially rewarding.