By John Telfer, History Columnist
Thomas Messenger Barnes was born at Casino Hospital New South Wales on 13 January 1896, the son of Henry and Mabel Barnes. He received his early education at home before he was sent to the Armidale School for his secondary education as the first of the Barnes sons to attend this college.
Thomas left the Armidale school around 1902 and looked for a career in banking. He sat for the bank entrance exam and after successfully completing the exams, he gained a position with the Commercial Banking Company in Sydney.
He was later transferred to the Bank of New South Wales at Dalby, and was there when the war broke out, but his home was listed as “Dyrabba” at Casino in New South Wales.
When World War 1 broke out in 1914, a young Thomas was keen to enlist, but at only 17 years of age his father Henry would not give his permission although Tom had some military experience having served in the school cadets and one year of infantry training. So, Tom had to wait for another three years before he could enlist.
This did not deter him and he eventually enlisted as a Private on 5 October 1917, at Lismore, New South Wales with the 2nd Light Horse Regiment, 30/5 Reinforcement.
After a period of training, Thomas’s Regiment embarked from Sydney on board RMS “Ormonde” on 2nd March 1918.
Arriving in Egypt on 25th May, Tom was immediately sent to Moascar Isolation Camp at Ismaila for further training and health checks.
Moascar was a final preparation for entrainment to the Western Front. It was a tent city situated near the Suez Canal, but provided social services to the ANZAC troops, supported and run by the YMCA.
Tom was promoted to acting corporal, reverted to Trooper, and transferred to the 5th Light Horse Regiment.
Thomas was involved in the battles along the Jordan Valley with his regiment prior to the ending of the desert wars, before the final cessation of hostilities in November 1918.
Tom embarked from Kantara on board the HT “Madras” on 28th June 1919 and arrived back in Sydney on the 3rd August 1919, and received his discharge on 28′ August 1919.
Following his discharge from the army, Tom was met by his mother and youngest brother in Sydney before travelling back to Casino to visit his father. Tom was now faced with decisions about a new career, as working in a bank now had little interest to him.
Working on the land became his main interest, so he took up a position with his Uncle Jack Barnes at Lyndhurst Station in the Gulf country.
Tom was gaining a lot of experience in cattle and station management and was keen to expand that knowledge so he accepted a position as an Overseer at Coorabulka Station at Boulia, when his life changed forever.
He attended a Race Ball in Boulia and came in contact with a young lady he had met previously when he worked in the Bank of New South Wales at Dalby. Her name was Margaret Tosh, formerly of Aberdeen, Scotland, who was now a nursing sister at Boulia General Hospital.
Romance blossomed, and they were married in Longreach in March 1927.
After a honeymoon travelling, Tom went to work as Manager of Chatsworth Station where he remained for five years and was appointed to membership of the Gregory North Rabbit Board, and Justice of the Peace.
Tom’s next move was to accept a position as Manager of Brunette Downs Station in the Northern Territory for 10 years.
It was while working here Tom was appointed as Justice of the Peace for the Northern Territory in 1936; however, always looking to improve himself, Tom decided to buy a farm at Canningvale, near Warwick in 1945, before selling the farm and moving to Brisbane and worked for the Australian Stock Breeders Company as the General Manager and Pastoral Inspector.
He also purchased another cattle property just outside Clermont in Central Queensland, in partnership with his good friend Warwick Wettenhall.
The property was named “Lake Vermont’ and was a large unimproved piece of land with wild cattle, and brigalow scrub for miles.
Tom bought his partner out and formed a partnership with his son and daughter and called it the Lake Pastoral Company and then took on the huge challenge to build the property up to the standard he required.
He made large improvements which included arial seeding with grasses, mustering and selling the wild cattle, as well as restocking with good bulls to build up the herd.
Tom’s son later on took on the management but he found it difficult, owing to the harsh weather and the “cattle crash” and so eventually, they decided to sell the property.
Tragedy struck the family when Tom was involved in a serious road accident in 1953. He was hit by a motorbike rider at Kedron, a Brisbane suburb, and sustained a fractured skull and broken leg.
After rehabilitation from his injuries, Tom continued to work on crutches, initially staying with the company up till 1967.
He continued to improve his beautiful garden and attend his favourite interest, horse racing, every Saturday until 1972.
He then returned to Warwick to be near family prior to his death in 1975.
Thomas Messenger Barnes was a highly successful land owner and administrator, he demonstrated the ANZAC spirit of mateship, courage, and independence in all the challenges he faced from the battlefields in the desert campaigns in 1918, to the land and farms he purchased and built up over many years.
Tom eventually passed away in 1975, and now lies at rest in the Eden Gardens cemetery at Warwick.
