Thomas Bond

Bond Street is named after Thomas Bond who was an early landholder in the district. The information below and award-winning garments made from Bond wool are on display in Greens Gunyah Museum. He is also a part of the Walk of Fame in the Walter Day Park.

A man of vision and determination.

Thomas Bond was born in 1859 at “Kilferra”, a 44,000 acre property in the Benalla district and moved to Lockhart in 1881 to the property “Yarran”. Thomas Bond was an exceptional judge of stock. Particularly horses, sheep and dogs. For years, two stallions stood at “Yarran”, he had many fine sheep dogs and his Corriedale flock was legendary.

Thomas Bond is a name still remembered in the Riverina and beyond. His manner was brusque and his work was his bond. Few people argued with him. He was hard bur fair, especially in business. His employees lasted either 2 days or 20 years. Most stock agents feared, yet respected him. (ref. grandson Peter Call)

1909 Thomas Bond starts breeding Lincoln rams over Bellevue Merino ewes later infusing Peppin blood using rams from Austin and Milleas Studs.

This decision to mate Lincoln rams with the whole of his stud merino ewes was considered so revolutionary by his fellow stud breeders that they questioned his sanity. With dogged persistence and determination he continued towards his objective, culling heavily each season with the aim of fixing an even type better suited to the harsh Riverina climate.

In 1932 “Yarran” stud is admitted into the Australian Corriedale Sheep Breeders Association and began using the term Commercial Corriedales. “Yarran” stud produced long-stapled bright, lustrous wool, with a beautiful defined crimp skin to tip. Its softness and high yielding qualities combined to make it a remarkable type of Corriedale wool. A notable difference to original Corriedale was the pink noses compared to the black and they also had a different skin type.

In 1979, 70 years after they were first bred the name Commercial Corriedale was changed to Bond Corriedale in honour of Thomas Bond the founder breeder.