That same year, Ken met Mary at a hunt in Deniliquin. They married in December 1962 at St David’s in Albury on a stinking hot day, then honeymooned on Kangaroo Island. In 1963, Ken and Mary took over Avenel following Harold and Mabel’s retirement. They started with 800 sheep and a handful of Shorthorn cattle. Just two years later, they expanded their operations with the purchase of nearby Willow Downs. Their partnership was meant to be. Ken’s love of sheep complemented Mary’s fondness of dogs and, together, they shared their passion for horses. Ken and Mary’s family grew with the arrival of their sons Colin in 1964 and Peter two years later. The boys’ earliest memories of their father are tethered to adventures on horseback: Ken mustering on his stockhorse with the boys following on their ponies, dogs at their heels. Life at Avenel was centred around horses, dogs, sheep and the milking cow – look out if you ever forgot to lock up the milker’s calf the night before! School holiday trips were far from the ordinary trip to the coast or the snow. They usually involved a horse float with a bunch of wethers in it for a wether trial somewhere, dog crates full of pups in the back of the Falcon station wagon to be delivered to buyers along the way and sometimes a young kangaroo Mary was raising or, on one occasion, a possum. Of course, the family Labrador was also along for the ride. The McCrabb family set up camp under the stars, with Col and Pete in the old canvas tent while Ken and Mary enjoyed the open sky. Never one to waste an empty horse float, Ken would often wheel into a quarter horse stud to pick up a stallion or, on occasion, a mare and young foal. Peter fondly remembers the times he accompanied his dad on classing trips or to a sheep show where Ken was judging. As they drove home, Ken would sometimes hand over the wheel to a ten-year-old Peter on long stretches between towns. There would always be a cushion to sit on and a hat to disguise his youth in case a police officer passed. Later in life, it was just his dog riding shotgun on classing trips. At one stage, Ken was classing 70 flocks around Australia, stretching from Julia Creek in North West Queensland to South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula and all over New South Wales and Victoria, covering enormous distances. He would travel at night between clients, often camping in his swag on the side of the road which wouldn’t always lead to a good night’s sleep. On one particular trip, Ken decided he needed to find a quieter place to camp. He discovered a spot with plenty of room to park his Landcruiser and classing trailer, a grassy spot to spread out his swag, no one around and no traffic. He would find the next morning that it was the Peak Hill Cemetery. From then on, he could always tell his family which country towns had the best cemeteries for camping. This would become a tactic that other family members employed at times as well. Ken had a passion for learning that was always active, which led his family on a world study tour to India, Europe, England and the United States when the boys were still toddlers. Exploring future trends within the wool and apparel industry, Ken saw a need to reduce micron while maintaining fleece weight and doability in all environments. The Avenel Merino Stud was registered in 1971, with Avenel serving as their home base. In 1974, during a particularly wet year, they purchased North Bundy, an 18,000-acre property west of Booroorban. It became the flock property and achieved significant success in wether trials and national ewe competitions. Ken’s sense of community was profound. He contributed selflessly, through his quiet involvement in various groups or by taking initiative alone to help those around him. He was heavily involved in the introduction of irrigation along the Billabong Creek and served on the Board of the Yanco Creek and Tributaries Advisory Council for many years. He further demonstrated his strong sense of community through his involvement in the Murray Valley Hunt Club, Deniliquin Pony Club and organisation of the Wanganella, Booroorban and Pretty Pine Gymkhanas to raise funds for their respective community halls. In 2005, Ken and Mary raised more than $23,000 by hosting a fundraiser at the new Avenel woolshed to support fire victims in the Eyre Peninsula. In 2025, Ken and Mary received life memberships from the Rural Fire Service Wanganella Brigade where Ken had been a member for more than 63 years, including over 15 years as captain. On one of Ken and Mary’s last family holidays, Peter flew them to see Lake Eyre in his four-seater aircraft, which they bought a share in some 30 years ago. Unlike past McCrabb family holidays, there were no rams or puppies to deliver this time due to weight and balance limitations. Mary had no pet kangaroo and there was no family Labrador, however they did manage to class plenty of sheep and train a few dogs over the bar at the William Creek and Birdsville hotels. For many years, Ken’s favourite civic duty was reporting the rainfall. Known as “Ken from Wanganella”, he was meticulous in his rainfall reporting to ABC Riverina as he felt that people should know what was happening in the western end of the Riverina. Ken McCrabb signed off on 24 December 2025 at the age of 88, surrounded by his family, who are waiting for the next rainfall event. Photo caption. Ken McCrabb with his dog Lukin and classing trailer. – 59 –
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