A young stockman, Jack Gleeson, working on Dunrobin station, took a liking to a puppy and tried several times to buy the puppy from the manager of the neighbouring station, Warrock. The bitch, named “Kelpie”, was bread from a pair of Scotch working Collies owned by George Robertson and his nephew George Patterson. Robertson did not want to part with the puppy and refused Gleeson several times. But his nephew Patterson took a liking to Gleeson’s Stockhorse. Gleeson seeing the opportunity, a deal was done.
In early 1869, against the wishes of his uncle, Patterson swapped Kelpie for Jack Gleeson’s stockhorse. Gleeson immediately moved on from Warrock station. Gleeson travelled through the Western Victoria, ending up on Ballerook station owned by Lancelot Ryan where Jack Gleeson broke “Kelpie” into sheepwork.
While on Ballerook, Mary, one of Ryan’s daughters had caught the eye of young Jack Gleeson and they began courting. In early 1871, Launcelot Ryan moved his family to Wallandool station. Jack Gleeson decided to follow Mary and took a job on the neighbouring Walbundrie station, where he worked as a stockman. The romance bloomed again.
In his travels Jack came across a black, smooth coated, pointy eared Collie, named Moss, which became the sire for his bitch “Kelpie”. “Kelpie” had two litters to Moss in 1872 and Jack Gleeson gave every puppy away.
Jack Gleeson eventually married Mary Ryan at her father’s property Wallandool. Soon after their marriage Jack contracted hepatitis. The couple moved to Warrnambool in south western Victoria, to be near Jack’s family. Jack passed away 29th August 1880, not long after Mary had given birth to a son, just 10 year after he acquired “Kelpie”.
Jack was never in it for the money, giving every puppy away. He was significant in the breeding of his Kelpie, in the Riverina.
Source: Australian Working Dogs: Origins and History - The Kelpie Origins. Fiona Beckett.