Willsher's Cattle.

Edward Hunt stated that the cattle put on board the “Portenia” were 27 cows, 1 bull and 6 working bullocks; apparently they all died except the famous cow.

Here is one account of the development of the herd:

“Shortly after landing she gave birth to a calf. It was a bull calf, and no other cattle being imported into that locality for many years, these two formed the nucleus of what became a herd of 500 head in 1863. These were then taken by Wilshire to the newly discovered goldfields of Gabriel's Gully and the Dunstan, and sold as fat cattle at £10 a head.”

William Ayson has stated that he heard that Willsher had about 40 head of cattle in 1853. If anyone interested in breeding cares to take a pencil and a large sheet of paper, and starts with an adult cow and a bull calf in the year 1840, it will be found possible to have 40 head of cattle by 1853—so long as there were few deaths of breeding cows and plenty of heifer calves.

But Willsher could not have taken a herd of 500 to Gabriel's Gully goldfield in 1863 if he had previously left for England in 1859.

There is a record of Willsher selling 50 head of cattle in the year 1859 at Balclutha. This sale of Willsher's cattle in 1859 may have been his clearing sale before he left for the Old Country. It is fairly obvious that some statements made about the large number of cattle must be taken with reserve, and that after the year 1850 many other settlers brought cattle into the district.