DAWSON, ROBERT BARRINGTON (1815-1891), studmaster, civil servant and pastoralist, was born at Great Bentley, Essex, England, the eldest son of Robert Dawson and his first wife Anne, née Taylor. His formal education at Uxbridge School ended in 1830 when he went to Madeira to work for a Portuguese wine merchant. He arrived at Sydney in 1835 and gained experience on stations in the Hunter, Castlereagh and Liverpool Plains districts. In 1840 he returned to England with a commission to buy and import sixteen thoroughbred mares and stallions of much-needed bloodlines. At Belford, Hunter River, in 1841 he established a stud whence he later exported 'walers' for the Indian army and imported high-caste Arab sires, a breed on which he was a recognized authority. In 1844 he entertained Ludwig Leichhardt on his way to Port Essington, and the Dawson River was named after him in gratitude for his financial assistance. Ruined ...

Read more at the source website

Source:

Australian Dictionary of Biography