Albert Widders (1832 - 1923)

Born 1832 in Camberwell, New South Wales, Australia

Husband of Mary (Noble) Widders — married 1864 in Singleton New South Wales Australia

Died 6 Dec 1923 at about age 91 in Armidale New South Wales Australia

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Biography

Albert WIDDERS according from his obituary was born at Camberwell near Singleton and lived and married in this district for about 50 years before moving to the New England area. He married 1864 to Mary NOBLE but they may have separated around 1870. His birth date of 1832 is estimated from age at death being 91 years.

Sources

• https://familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au/search/bdm

Death: WIDDERS Albert 16750/1923 Armidale aged 91 years. [no parents]

Marriage: WIDDERS Albert 2882/1864 Singleton NOBLE Mary

http://www.trove.nla.gov.au/search/newspapers Scone Advocate (NSW: 1887 - 1954), Friday 14 March 1924, page 2 Passing of Old Upper Hnnter Stockman.ALBERT WIDDERS. "Uandoo" writes from Armidale: There passed away recently in the local hospital, Albert Widders, who was well-known in the Singleton and Upper Hunter districts as one of the best horsemen and cattlemen of his day. He was an all-round athlete and very popular with his mates. After leaving Glenrock, where he was employed by Messrs Campbell and Simpson, he spent the rest of his life on various New England stations. His death will recall to his old stock-mates their many experiences together in mountain and scrub, when their world was much younger and the outlaw cattle were numerous and wild. (We yesterday brought the above lines under the notice of Mr Frank Eipper, who knew the deceased well and whom he accompanied on many of his intrepid exploits in the then little-known and sparsely-populated country at the head of the Hunter. Mr Eipper says that the old fellow would be about 80 years of age at his passing. In his younger days he had no peer in the saddle and it was no common sight to see him assume the perpendicular on horseback with his mount going at top speed. Just as he was a wonder in the rough country so was he also a marvel in the stockyard. It was he who won notoriety by rescuing a child from a yard of wild cattle. Widders, seeing, the predicament of the child, immediately sprang from the fence and crossing the yard by finding a foothold on the back of the cattle, seized the child and safely returned by way of the hides of the stock. The Upper Hunter turned out many fine horsemen in the rolling years but the consensus of opinion of the old hands is that the palm could never be lifted from Albert Widders.

Scone Advocate (NSW: 1887 - 1954), Tuesday 18 March 1924, page 1 The Passing of a Great Horseman. On, 6th December last there died in the Armidale Hospital a half-cast named Albert Widders, who for a period of more than half a century was a valuable adjunct to the pastoral industry of the State. (By A J McR in the "Sydney Mail") Born at Camberwell, near Singleton, Widders entered the service of the late Captain Russel, of Ravensworth, at an early age as a stable boy and on attaining his majority, was promoted to the position of head stockman. This was a responsible position in those far-off days. While riding the outer marches of the then wide domains of Ravensworth, this half-caste, like Othello, found favour in the eyes of a maiden of fairer hue, the daughter of a well-to-do settler in that neighbourhood, who married Widders according to the rites of her church. After a period of 21 years on Ravensworth, Widders took employment on historic “Segenhoe", where the brothers McDonald were then in occupation. Mustering wild, unbranded horses for the Queensland market was then, in the later 60's, a chief occupation on Segenhoe. Here Widders spent the most strenuous period of his life. The work was so hazardous that he ultimately relinquished it and settled on the land in the Singleton district.. While thus engaged "Thunderbolt", the bushranger, lifted a favourite horse of the struggling settler. It has often been declared that Thunderbolt never robbed a poor man. In this case he did, but his lapse may have been brought about by the quality of the animal taking the outlaw's eye. Widders followed Thunderbolt to one of his hiding places and recovered the horse. Adverse conditions arose, "Desdemona" sought the shelter of her father's roof with her children and the subject of this sketch took his choice of four roads. For a time he followed the occupation of shearer, drover and horse-breaker. The early seventies found him engaged in the last capacity at Orundumbi, in the Walcha district, where the late Mr John Fletcher, of respected memory, quickly realised his abilities and placed him on the permanent staff. Later, Widders was placed in charge of Giro, on the Upper Manning and afterwards had the management of St Leonards, near Walcha. Here free selectors encroached and curtailed the area of the run and the half-cast ex-station manager found a wider range on Tamalla in the employment of the Campbells, of Arden Hall, near Scone. Here he maintained his reputation as a capable stockrider for several years. Cooplacurripa, on the Upper Manning, was the closing scene of his greatest activities. He engaged there as head stockman in 1886 and held the position for over twelve years. Wild cattle were then in numbers on his run and he soon manifested his ability in dealing with these. Through advancing age he had to seek easier employment. In 1904 he went on as a general hand at Fairburn, near Armidale, where he remained some five years, though his services as a competent station vet were still availed on until 1916, when failing eyesight forced him to retire. His last employment was on Ward's Mistake, near Armidale, where he had charge of a pack of rabbit dogs. In his earlier years he had been offered a position to proceed to England and take charge of a pack of foxhounds Regarding Widders' claims to merit as a horseman, no doubt verbosity has been employed but reliable men have been prepared risk more than speech on the subject. In the brigalow scrubs of Queensland or in the sub-tropical growth in the gorges abutting on the eastern slopes of New England, he handled cattle with equal effect. When a youth of 18 years he was set to ride any horse on Archerfield for a wager. The animal selected for the contest was yarded and kept on hard feed for a term. After a great exhibition on the part of both horse and rider, a partisan of the latter felled the horse with a loaded whip-handle. Naturally, a free fight followed. The late Mr J S Drew declared that he was Widders "do the smartest thing he ever saw a man do. We were after a mob of wild horses in a very wet time. Coming down a mountain a mare in the mob fell and was sliding down the hill, when Widders jumped off and caught her. I knew the horse Widders was riding," continued Drew, who was no novice, "and the man that stopped him in the time and place he did was no ordinary man. And the man who stopped him in the time and place he did was no ordinary man. And the way he sprang on to the mare! Why, it was like the dart of a swift through the air." As regards his tenacity: When a new hand on Orundumbi he was assisting in a horse muster at Surveyors' Creek. About 2 o'clock one afternoon, two horses that had got away every muster for years left the coaches. Widders and several other stockmen started in pursuit. Nightfall found the former alone with the horses in the junction of two creeks, where he held them until daylight next morning. Then, resuming operations, he yarded them unaided, at Ingalba, some 40 miles in a direct line from the starting point, at 10 am that day. The horse that carried the redoubtable half-caste through this long chase was a newly-broken colt but this was a type that — with all ..due .respect, to the theory of the racecourse test and its influence on the light horse generally — has long since vanished from New England runs. As was natural, this intrepid horseman had experience of some "close calls". On one occasion when after wild horses, he came upon a large fallen tree to wide to clear. He attempted to pass between the head of the tree and the mob. Unfortunately, the man on the opposite side closed at a critical moment and brought the horses too close for Widders. Air pressure caused by the weight and velocity of the mob, together with the falling ground— there was no collision —forced the mare he was riding— a light, weedy thing — on to the head of the tree, where a splinter passed through the calf of the rider's leg, the saddle flaps and the heart of the unfortunate mare. This, I have reason to believe, happened on Segenhoe. Reverting to this estate, the mare aforementioned — the one Widders transferred so expeditiously to the ownership of the McDonalds — was shot in mistake for a brumby, by an employee of an adjoining run holder. A dispute arose, followed by litigation, which was finally decided before the Privy Council of England, with the result that the McDonalds had to quit Segenhoe after occupying that valuable property — rent free — for a period of 20 years and seven months. Yet Widders said, "We hadn't much show. The heavy going was against our horses and I thought I'd make sure of one. Thus minor events sometimes lead to greater happenings. This half-caste had varied experiences in the saddle. He had worn the racing colours of several owners and was the victor in many a competition in country showings. Cattle-drafting, perhaps, was his forte and though he was an old man when this particular item was introduced at shows, he was invincible for a long term. On Armidale showground, when 80 years of age, he demonstrated his ability to use a horse. I once had the presumption to essay to put Widders down in the bush relying more on the mare I was riding than on my own ability. Needless to say, the effort was a failure and I realised that day what a horseman Widders was. Physically, Albert Widders was a fine type of humanity, standing a trifle over six feet and athletically built. Probably had Sir Rider Haggard known him when the former was in the prime of his manhood, he would have discovered useful material to weave into one of his inimitable tales. Had this man had a military training, he would have made a dashing cavalryman. Individually he had many manly attributes. One of his sons is a highly-respected member of a farming community in his native district. Another son was one of the first pedestrians of his day in the '80s. The early remains of this veteran was laid to rest in the Church of England portion of Armidale Cemetery.