Pascoe (Merino) Collection

Burra Record 14 Oct. 1914, page 1

The Pascoe Collection. ... Too much praise cannot be given to the robust type of Merino sheep based on the high open land contiguous to the railway line from Manoora and extending northwards to near Terowie. Sheep from the Burra District are especially noteworthy. Bred as they are, under perfectly natural conditions, neither housed, rugged, nor fed on prepared fodders and sustained only by the indigenous grasses. Thus they are essentially adapted to arid pastoral country. The districts comprised in the area mentioned supply the bulk of the Merino stud rams for Queensland and Western Australia as well as many parts of New South Wales. The African stockowners are large buyers of both stud ewes and rams, and have expressed surprise that South Australia is so generous as to allow them to select from the State’s best Merinos for export to Africa, whilst Africa in return will not reciprocate in the ostrich trade by even an egg. At the present time the question is being debated whether the supremacy of the South Australian Merino can be maintained in the smaller areas (now devoted to pastoral pursuits) since the cutting up of Booborowie, North Booborowie, Gum Creek, Hill River and Bungaree, districts previously noted for ram breeding and now cut into smaller areas and devoted to wheat growing. These districts surrounding the historic town of Burra have for many years been known as ‘the home of the typical Merino’ and with the object of displaying to the many visitors, stockbreeders, and the general public the class of sheep bred on the various stations, Mr R.D. Pascoe, an enterprising and highly respected resident of Kooringa has during the past four years secured the framed photographs of no fewer than 129 different stud sheep. These he has tastefully arranged and hung in his spacious and splendidly lighted hairdressing saloon situated in Commercial St, therein securing a decoration of which he has every reason to feel proud. The collection of pictures has been inspected by many well-known dealers and breeders in the Commonwealth, and has been adjudged by all to be the finest and most valuable in the state. It has also been a source of great convenience to local, Interstate, New Zealand, and South African Buyers. ... The photos which are uniformly framed and mounted range from 7’ x 4’2” to 2’ x 2½’, and were taken by Messrs C.P. Scott, W.B. Page, Edwards & Roach.

Burra Record April 1, 1925

The fine collection of photos of stud sheep hanging in Mr R D Pascoe’s hairdressing saloon, have scores of times been viewed by visitors, both distinguished and otherwise, and highly commented upon. Seldom has a more interested part visited the saloon than that arranged by Messrs G.F. Jenkins and W.B. Page, the President and general Secretary of the Liberal Federation, (On Thursday evening last. The party comprised the Prime Minister (Hon. (S.M.) and Mrs Bruce, the Mayor and the Mayoress (Mr and Mrs Maurice Collins), Senators G.W. Foster, R.V. Wilson and Newland, M.H.R.’s, Messrs G.F. Jenkins, W.B. Page and W.G. Hawkes and the visit was prior to the meeting. The Prime Minister after a close inspection said that it was the best collection he had ever seen In fact he had been told it was the finest in the work. It was also a great advertisement for the district and an educating to the general public, Mr Hawkes explained to the visitors the quality of the wool, frame etc. Senator Wilson presented Mr. R. D. Pascoe with a set of four photos of Stud rams, (three each from South Australia Victoria, N.S W. and Tasmania), which have been sent to the Wembly Exhibition to represent the above states. This magnificent collection representing some of the finest merino sheep in Australia was started by Mr Pascoe in 1910, Mr L W Gebhardt being the first contributor. Other well-known breeders of high-class sheep have followed Mr Gebhard’s example and the collection of photos is now as stated by the Prime Minister one of the finest to be seen