Recently retrieved from the depths of an extensive collection of memorabilia in North Queensland was a cache of rare and revealing documents from the Dutton family of South Australia who made a fortune on the land , in mining and numerous other ventures .
The exceptional pile of wide ranging ephemera , merely described as a bundle of share and investment lists, covering the period from 1905 to l917 , was sold at the two-day February 1978 auction of the "old Anlaby" homestead contents , at Kapunda , north of Adelaide , the catalogue cover for which is shown here. The collection had been stored away ever since , only surfacing last month , shown to me because of my known interest in Anlaby and the Duttons , especially poet , author and publisher Geoffrey Dutton , who served as a pilot in the RAAF in the Northern Territory during WWll and survived a plane crash in New Guinea .
By Peter Simon
The pile came from the Anlaby office where it had accumulated , many items spiked, over the years , some initialled by "H. H"- adventurous Hugh Hampden Dutton, born Adelaide 1879, attended Oxford where he received a B. A., rowed in the university eight in 1900, travelled through the Rocky Mountains, Newfoundland and Morocco , with Murray Aunger, in 1908, made the first crossing by car from Adelaide to Darwin in a Talbot .
He and his wife, Emily ,were keen collectors , Anlaby, centre of the Dutton extensive pastoral empire, the above station homestead filled with valuable furniture , antiques , first editions , art .
Perusing the fascinating documents you get a glimpse of the widespread interests of the Duttons , the investment opportunities offered them , calls by pastoral interests to combat rising union power and a proposal to form a large farmer dominated sheep shearing company . One scheme outlines a grandiose plan to capture a large part of a global market .
The 1912 letter, above, from the Howard Commercial and Correspondence College , Adelaide , asked Dutton if he had "some money lying idle ", or earning anything less than eight percent , there was a golden opportunity to buy shares in this business. It promised to match eight percent , and "doubtless very much more" .
It cited the case of a similar pioneer company in America , the International Correspondence School, which had made a killing , starting with no capital and in 17 years doing over $45million of business , building up capital of $10million .
Director Paul Howard said his pioneer college was no experiment , it was a tried and proven enterprise , ready to become the greatest money making opportunity of any institution in Australia .The hard sell continues ;
Howard boldly declared the college has " the first grip " of the Australian Commonwealth , with subsidiaries in all states , and in the dominion of New Zealand ..."By development we can control the scholastic correspondence of Australasia and Oceania." Howard explained he was not departing the business, took no payment in cash ( only shares ). New money was needed to develop new courses of instruction to quadruple the earning capacity and provide additional printing machinery, an up to date German printing press imported.
Dutton was asked to invest in Papua Plantations Limited , there being several documents relating to the company .
Another invitation, complete with a map , was extended to invest in mines in Broken Hill , New South Wales, and Kalgoorlie ,Western Australia . Marked private and confidential , with a handwritten note on the bottom from H.H., asked : What do you think of this ? Dated February 1918 , it involved shares in John Dunstan and Son Limited , which supplied sand and stone, so that it could double the size of its plant . If the electric tram were extended to Waterfall Gully , Adelaide, the company could be in the position to supply all district councils and make an annual profit of 15,000 pound . The letter said an arrangement could be made to take Dutton out by motor to see plant in action .
The Duttons prospered in the early days of settlement in South Australia and as Anlaby passed down through the line , each one added to its glory and contents. One Dutton , Henry , H.H.'s father, was known as The Squire of Anlaby . He owned one of the finest pleasure yachts in Australia, the steam driven Adele , of 130ft, with eight teak lined cabins , on the register of the Royal Yacht Squadron , Cowes .
At one stage Anlaby was surrounded by share farmers who were offered ownership in 1914 . Geoffrey Dutton , a republican , was resident when the auction was held , during which the fountain at the front of the building collapsed , symbolising the end of the great Dutton empire .
Anlaby was sold and one set of owners , a couple, I met brought with them a large horse drawn vehicle collection, which included a spectacular old hearse , installed in one of the large sheds on the property. Hanging on a peg was an old tyre said to have been used in the historic overland car crossing from Adelaide to Darwin . During my visits to Anlaby the old folly tower was visible near the tennis courts and what looked like large stone dog kennels from yesteryear . Attempts were being made to re-establish the huge rose garden which the estate once boasted and I was asked to keep a look out for old gardening books to help the project .
Leading literary figures including Australian Nobel Prize winner Patrick White and Max Harris of Angry Penguin fame were entertained at Anlaby . Geoffrey Dutton invited Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko , who spoke out against Stalin and Russian actions, to come to Australia and attend the Adelaide Festival .
UPCOMING:Warnings about unions , sample brochures , farm implements and gadgets .
