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loved Jack, for all his wildness). By 1883 Jack was in the Gulf Country, managing Lawn Hill station; possibly he was a partner with Frank Hann (Creaghe, 8-2-1883; Gaunt, Northern Standard, 6-7-1934). Watson was in charge of the second mob of cattle to stock Amos and Broad’s McArthur River station in the Queensland Gulf country (Northern Standard, 13-10-1931; Buchanan, 1933: 75). Jack Watson (Watson family collection). A letter cited in the Government Resident’s ‘Half-Yearly Report on the Northern Territory to December 1886’ (Little, cited in Parsons, 1887: 2) mentions a J. Watson in charge of ‘500 fats and stores … for southern markets, North Australian Pastoral company owners, Alexandra station’. Because of his wild exploits in the Gulf region, Watson 21 AUVERGNE became known as ‘The Gulf Hero’ or ‘The Gulf King’ (The Pastoralists’ Review, 15-81912: 594). I suspect that the name ‘Gulf Hero’ may have been sarcastic and applied by those who thought he was mad or a terrific show-off. Another source suggests that Watson was known in Queensland as ‘Mad Jack’ and says he worked for William Hann on Maryvale before going to work for Frank Hann at Lawn Hill. Watson was present when William Hann drowned (pers. comm., Tony Roberts). One of Watson’s contemporaries in the Gulf country, C.E. Gaunt (Northern Standard, 67-1934), tells the following stories about Watson: After the Randalls left [Florida station] Jack Watson “The Gulf hero,” as he was known to old timers, took charge and became manager. … Jack Watson came from an old Victorian family, his father, George Watson, being the popular starter in the Melbourne Cup for many years. … Jack was a wild reckless fellow–would charge hell with a bucket of water. A splendid athlete and boxer, and a terror on the blacks. Like Nat Buchanan and a few other old pioneers, he strictly refrained from intercourse with lubras. He would not have them around him. In the camp, and on the station they were strictly debarred, and he used his fists on any white stockman who harboured lubras on the station. He stood six feet one inch, and most men were careful not to cross the “Gulf Hero.” One incident occurred which is worth relating. When I was with Charlie Willis bringing out a mob of cattle to the Macarthur, the blacks were troublesome on the trail and one night we camped on Skeleton Creek, between the Macarthur River and Settlement Creek. That night the blacks attacked the camp, stampeded the cattle and drove some of our hoppled horses off. No one was speared. Next day whilst some went after the cattle, Carl Hansen and I went to muster the horses. On mustering we found three horses speared to death and one badly wounded, which we shot. Next day we met Jack Watson, who was returning to Lawn Hill after delivering a mob to the Macarthur. There were himself and four first lcass [sic] black boys. We told him what happened. “Leave them to me,” said Jack. “I’ll stir the possum in them when I get to Skeleton Creek,” and he did. Spending two weeks on the creek he tracked and hunted those niggers shooting them down as he came up with them until there was not a black on the creek. He was merciless and spared none. To return to Florida, when managing that place when the abos. stepped over the line, Watson threw lead at them, and threw it to kill. He had the blacks good hombres, but he had to wipe out a lot to make them so. … Eventually Florida Station was abandoned, the chief cause being the loss of stock by blacks. This was after Watson left. Emily Creaghe, who was in the Lawn Hill region in 1883 when Watson was manager there, wrote in her diary that, ‘Mr Watson has 40 prs of black’s ears nailed round the walls, collected during raiding parties after the loss of many cattle speared by the blacks.’ (Creaghe, 2004: 26). It doesn’t appear that Emily saw the ears herself – she was at a neighbouring station and was told about the ears by Bob Shadforth, who’d just returned from Lawn Hill – but their existence would fit the pattern of Watson’s behaviour. A few days later Emily wrote that, ‘The blacks are particularly aggressive in this district.’ Ernestine Hill (1951: 232), who spoke with many old-timers in the early 1930s, recounts another story of Watson’s ‘efficiency’ in dealing with wild blacks: 22 AUVERGNE There is a story⎯I do not like to believe it true⎯that hearing of a Burketown station pestered by cattle-killers, he promised to set the matter right. Riding back in a week he threw eleven skulls on the table with a jaunty “There you are! No more trouble out there!” The first manager of the Macartney and Mayne property, Florida, in central Arnhem Land, was Alf Randell. When Alf left the station, presumably in 1886, Watson took over there (Northern Standard, 6-7-1934). In 1891 Florida was abandoned and Watson led the party of stockmen that brought the Florida cattle to Auvergne. Whether any of these cattle reached Auvergne in 1891 is unclear, but Watson himself was definitely on Auvergne early that year. In a letter Watson wrote to his brother Ned in San Francisco in July 1891 (Watson, 20-7-1891, Watson family papers), he mentioned that he had just come from Victoria River and was returning to Florida, but that he would be returning to the Victoria to live. Part of this letter provides some insight into the man and his times, and is reproduced here: I got here [Katherine] today on my way to Florida from the Victoria River 600 miles of a ride ... I am making a bee line and so far have got on all right though the general impression was that I would not get water on the route but as I only had a useless brute of a nigger I did not care for it is cool weather and I can go days without a drink and I did not mind if the nigger perished ... from here to Florida is only 400 miles if I can go straight ... no one has been across yet one man tried [and] perished all his horses and returned on foot unless I get blocked in the first hundred miles by mountains I’ll get through all right. the [sic] inspector of police for the Territory is here and thinks I am mad ... he wants me to take a trooper and two trackers with me ... I told him Police horses could not live with mine & I only carried tea sugar flour & a rifle and did not always get game [so] as the police man would probaly [sic] Knock up so I would be better with out [him]. The Florida buildings were pulled down and materials worth saving were shipped around to Darwin. Whether these were then shipped through to Auvergne is unknown, but this seems likely (Northern Territory Times, 16-9-1892). In September 1892 Watson took another mob of Florida cattle to Auvergne (Northern Territory Times, 3-4-1896). He must have left the station almost immediately because he was not at Auvergne on September 20th when Sam Croker was murdered (Northern Territory Times, 7-10-1892; see entry for Croker, above). Apparently Watson was manager of Auvergne for several years after Croker’s murder. Then in March 1895 he

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