Taylor River Run No. 14 — Charles Bigg Wither

This run was taken up by C. B. Wither of Waimea East about 1848, but was not numbered on the sketch map of 1849, so may not have been issued with a licence until later that year. By 1854 it was numbered 14 and was about 15,000 acres. During the next few years C. B. Wither purchased from various owners five or six of the surveyed sections (Budge's survey) between the run and Alabama Road, making his holding about 16,000 acres. He also free-holded as much as he could of the original run.

The original run had a long stretch of land between the Branch Stream and the Taylor River from Vinegar Point westwards to the Blairich Stream and the Tyntesfield Run boundary which could be described as a pan handle.

Toward the end of 1861 his neighbours Messrs Eyes and Empson bought about 2,000 acres extending from the Branch Stream Junction and Vinegar Point westward, effectively cutting off C. B. Wither's access to land further westward. The only thing Wither could do was lease this block of land to the occupier of the neighbouring run, either Tyntesfield or Blairich, until there was a change of ownership at Meadowbank. C. B. Wither was then able to sell his part of the panhandle to the new owner, Dr Ralph Richardson, in 1867. In the same year Wither sold his interest in the remainder of the run to Henry Redwood the elder of Waimea West, this gave Redwood the control of all the hill country from the Taylor River to the Vernon Bluffs though he may have been leasing it or running stock on shares prior to this.

Tradition has it that Wither's first manager at his run was John Maxwell who lived at the "Blue Gums". Maxwell had been a servant of Dr Monro at Waimea West and had married Catherine Maher in 1845 at St Michael's Anglican Church, Waimea West. Maxwell Road, Maxwell Stream and Maxwell Pass are named after him.

Henry Redwood died in 1873 and his trustees carried on the run until early 1884 when Thomas Redwood, his third son, took over 7,010 acres of the western part of the run and Charles, the fourth son, took over a smaller area of 4,445 acres to add to his holding of flat land around the Riverlands area. Neither of these two sons were sound businessmen. Thomas had to sell to Thomas Carter of Hillersden in 1891 while Charles' interest in the Riverlands Run was taken over by the Bank of New South Wales who had gained control of all the mortgages on the property. The bank conveyed the Riverlands Run to Robert John Bell of Riverlands and his brother James Bell of Hillersden in 1900.