Portrait of T.R. Bowman from Crystal Brook from the S.A. Northern Pioneers' composite, 1850-1859 (shown in position on B 6912/3).

In the obituary published in The Chronicle 25 February 1911 pioneer pastoralist, T.R. Bowman, was described as "one of the most successful as well as one of the most highly respected of the citizens of South Australia'..... "Mr. Bowman showed his public spirit in very many ways and he has always been ready to help every deserving cause which was brought under his notice." He was a great philanthropist, and donated over 26,000 pounds the year before his death to many charities including The District Trained Nurse Society, Adelaide City Mission, Minda Home and the Salvation Army.

The Bowman family spent some years in Tasmania arriving there in 1829. Edmund was the first of his family to come over to South Australia in 1838 and was later joined by his brothers, John, Thomas and William. They established pastoral properties in the Dry Creek and Enfield area and later in the mid north with Werocata, Crystal Brook and Martindale, The family were noted for doing much of the hard graft of station work themselves--building fences and lambing pens, washing their sheep before shearing etc. They were also involved in carting copper ore from Burra to Port Adelaide and on the return journey would bring in station supplies.

Thomas Bowman spent 20 years on the Crystal Brook run: it covered 560 square miles and carried 25,000 sheep and 3400 head of cattle. It was resumed by the government in the 1870s for farming purposes and Thomas Bowman then acquired the Poltalloch and Campbell Park properties on Lake Albert.

He died at his Adelaide home after a fall.

Bowman, Edmund, 1818-1866

Bowman, John

Bowman, William

Death of Mr. T.R. Bowman. Pioneer pastoralist Chronicle, 25 February 1911, p. 46, col. c-d

Cockburn, R Pastoral pioneers of South Australia 2 v. (207; 263 p.) Adelaide : Publishers Limited, 1925-1927 ("Reprinted from the Adelaide Stock and Station Journal.") vol. 1 pp. 20-21

[Bowman family] Our pastoral industry, Adelaide: Australian "Garden & Field", 1910 p. 57-68

Noble munificence. Charities benefited 26,400 in bonds Register, 19 January 1910, p. 7, col. b-d

Manning index of South Australian history: Crystal Brook

Sweet, Samuel White Campbell House, Campbell Pk 1876 B 10772

Thomas & John Bowman 1890 B 11301