Thursday, February 20, 2025

The biography of John Gunn

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The biography of John Gunn is now published, titled Opportunity Makes the Man, The Labours of John Alexander Gunn—the only biography ever written about one of Australia’s greatest sons.

Who was John Gunn? He was an Australian pastoralist who, in 1893, commenced using his own double-dose anthrax vaccine. His vaccine outperformed the vaccine of Louis Pasteur, that had been introduced to Australia a few years before. Intriguingly, Mr. Gunn developed his vaccine without any scientific training, but he learnt the science and ultimately inoculated sheep far and wide. In 1895 he partnered with John M’Garvie Smith and in 1897 they commenced using a single-dose anthrax vaccine—a world first.

Book cover

John Gunn was a local identity, initially working for Goldsbrough Mort at South Yalgogrin (north of Kamarah). Originally from Victoria, he became a jackaroo, then overseer, and finally manager of the run. While living at South Yalgogrin, he gave his address as “South Yalgogrin, via Narandera” (these being the days when Narrandera was spelled differently). Developing close ties with the area, he purchased rural properties around Ganmain before he moved to manage Borambola, a large station to the east of Wagga Wagga.

Other achievements of Mr. Gunn are documented in this 288 page biography by local author Peter Symes. His record of promoting vaccination in the press, struggling against the anti-vaxxers of the day, is included in this volume, as is his invention of a pollard distributor to poison rabbits. His work for the Pastures and Stock Protection Boards and later the Pastures Protection Boards is recounted, as is his rise to be Chairman of the Pastures Protection Boards’ Council of Advice.

In this role he supervised the experiments by Dr. Jean Danysz to eliminate rabbits that plagued New South Wales and Victoria. Mr. Gunn was ultimately elevated to the New South Wales Legislative Council, where he served until his early death in 1910 at the age of 50 years.

This story of this great man is now available at: Narrandera – Books on East; Ganmain – Faraway on Ford; Ardlethan – Ariah 62 Café.

Narrandera Argus 8 August 2024

This article appeared in Narrandera Argus, 8 August 2024.
Related story: Review – Opportunity Makes the Man: The Labours of John Alexander Gunn
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