Cattle : NORFOLK ISLAND BLUE

Australian Status:

Country of origin: Norfolk Island

Australian Population: All are on Norfolk Island. Estimate 50 (2020). 2022 estimate 40.

History: Descended from the bull Dr. Blue Suit brought to the island in the mid 1900's. So named for his distinctive colour, Dr. Blue Suit is thought to have been a Shorthorn-Angus cross. Cattle of the old English breeds had been brought to the island from 1790, in the various waves of settlement - indeed; the initial hope was the island would feed the new colony in NSW. During the 1790's many ships brought cattle from the Cape to Australia, some ships carried over 100 head per load - some of these cattle were sent to Norfolk - they were probably Afrikaners. Before long English breeds came out and were taken there.

In 1841 when the barque Hope called there, Captain Simpson reported several thousand cattle roamed the island. When the Pitcairners were allowed to settle on the island about 1855, there were three thousand sheep and many cattle (accounts vary from hundreds to thousands). They belonged to the government but were gifted to these people according to a letter from Captain Fremantle; disputed in 1867 by the Governor of NSW nonetheless the cattle were managed for the people as a community asset, apart from individually claimed house cows, by the resident teacher. These cattle were the old English breeds, probably mostly shorthorn, crossed to the African cattle. That year they sold several shiploads of cattle to New Caledonia. Cattle were regularly sold to visiting whalers for food. The proceeds of cattle sales were banked for all the islanders to share. To clear up the problem of who owned the cattle - government or islanders - Mr. Rossiter the English  teacher on the island, in that year (1867) suggested they be purchased from the government and a price of 3 pounds per beast was settled on. This suited everyone as the number of cattle had shrunk. In 1868 it was reported cattle numbered in the hundreds, excellent butter was made on the island and good cheese; this indicates cattle with high butterfat in the milk.

Early photos of mission cattle on the island show dual purpose type beasts, some long legged dairy shorthorns - a breed the mission took to several islands. Mission cattle were taken over on the missionary boat that toured the islands regularly, the Southern Cross (each time a new missionary boat was built it was named after the last one, with its own number, for example Southern Cross VII was the seventh built for the run).

In 1873 the French schooner Diamot took cattle on at the Cascades, but weather came up and she was blown onto the island and wrecked. All got off safely. This indicates the cattle trade as French ships came from nearby New Caledonia.

In 1888 the Carringtons visited (Gov. of NSW). Lord Carrington brought a Shorthorn bull and a Hereford calf as gifts (also 3 prize rams, and Lady Carrington donated poultry she'd brought out from England especially). 

In 1877-78, 1894-95, 1900, 1905 and 1938-40 severe droughts caused the death of many cattle. Once rain came the rest picked up and became fat quickly.

In 1900 Earl Beauchamp visited the island and promised them a bull. He sent a polled bull named Barrister. Island officials, being King, Metcalfe and Noble, put themselves in charge of the bull and were called the Bull Board. Their fees were so expensive no-one could afford the bull's services. An old man who looked after the bull for the Bull Board, Michael Macnamara, was found dead in its Government paddock, trampled and crushed; it transpired the bull was notorious for savagery. Macnamara was a Crimea war veteran and a kindly old man loved by all. The Bull Board then tried to give the bull to the islanders but no-one wanted it. Stories appeared in the press about this 'ferocious government bull' - it had previously been at Mudgee and almost killed several people and should have been destroyed. In 1923 it was reported the cattle were not giving much milk and a government bull had been found dead some years earlier, having been pushed off a cliff - Barrister.

Norfolk Island had a good trade in cattle and horses to New Zealand, New Caledonia, Fiji, New Hebrides (Vanuatu), and Australia through  the late nineteeth century and early twentieth century. Little boats - most were schooners and ketches - that transported these had a unique method of tying them on board to prevent injury, and had almost no losses. Their methods were better than the stall system usually used. As the cattle sold well, they were obviously good quality. In 1911 a stock inspector could find no signs of tuberculosis in the island's cattle, or any other disease, and said 6 or 7 bulls had been brought in, in recent years, and all cattle were shorthorn-angus cross, hence many would have been blue colour, but that they were starting to get inbred.

Cattle also regularly went in stalls on the steamer Makamba to Sydney to sell. Cattle were towed off the rocks at the Cascades by a motor launch, swum out then winched onto the steamer. By 1916 a better method involved tying their legs together and taking them out 4 at a time in a whaleboat from the town landing, then hauling them on the steamer by the tied legs; it was easier and faster. Once butchered in Sydney cattle were always checked for tuberculosis. While it was found in some cattle from Fiji in 1915, all Norfolk Island cattle were found to be free of this disease.

The Norfolk bullocks dressed out to 770 pounds (349 kilos) in 1915, an excellent weight the equal of a beast today finished in a feedlot, yet were off pasture. In 1915-16 the cattle were all said to be the Shorthorn type. In 1918 it was reported there were 2,000 cattle, 500 horses and 500 sheep on the island.

In 1933 Mr Locksmith started an Illawarra Shorthorn herd on the island, his bull was Chieftain of Seaview, bred in Kangaloon, NSW. In 1936 a 15 months old bull, Wongoola Flashlight was taken to the island for Mr Locksmith; the bull was a red Illawarra Shorthorn. In 1939 a top quality Jersey heifer, in calf, was taken to the island by the Administrator Sir Charles Rosenthal; this line may have added butterfat to the cattle on the island. She had a bull calf, the sire was the reserve champion at Sydney Royal. A Jersey bull was also imported by Rosenthal to the island, but later that year a Jersey bull was impounded and killed, a case which went to the island's judiciary, it was killed as the pound keeper did not want it in his pound, was not allowed to sell it and was not sure he would get any fine money. The owner Samuel Hadley was very upset. In 1940 it was reported the bull Wongoola Flashlight had come through 3 years of bad drought in superb condition and that all his heifers and cows fared the best of all cattle on the island.

In 1950 Miss Margaret Wilson, daughter of the Administrator, decided to improve cattle quality by bringing in a bull. She did this by purchasing a top quality bull calf, Aberdeen Angus, and had him flown to the island where he was put onto a foster cow to be raised, he was 3 weeks old.

In the early and mid-twentieth century it was a popular breeding choice to cross Shorthorns with Galloways or Welsh Blacks to get blue-grey cattle, this was done on a big scale as the hybrid vigour produced outstanding animals. A white Shorthorn bull over black cows was the method used. Angus was also used for the cross but the blue-grey colour was marginally less likely to occur. There were show classes for Blue-Greys and a breed sprung up in England called Blue Albion. This cross was known about for a long time, going back to colonial days, for example a "blue and white spotted working bull," branded HF, was impounded near Sydney in 1835, and a "blue and white speckled bull" branded IB was impounded at Invermein NSW in 1836 ,and a "blue strawberry roan bull" was impounded in NSW in 1838 etc.

The blue bull was brought onto the island by Gilly Bailey, but it's not known where from (probably Australia or NZ) in the mid 1900's. Cattle roamed about freely due to fencing being haphazard so he threw a lot of stock. He threw his blue colour, so a breed was born.

Robyn moved to the island for work in 2001 and in 2003 she married and moved onto a farm with her husband, Paul Menghetti. She set about buying up the islands blue cattle to put onto their farm, Hundred Acre Farm. Advice was sought from the Australian Cattle Breeders Association who suggested upgrading with Jonathon Wright's Blue-E stock, and using AI the new genetics were added. Next they opened a successful restaurant, Norfolk Blue Restaurant Grill & Bar, showcasing the tender beef of their animals on farm. Although the restaurant is now closed, the cattle are still being cared for on the farm.

The careful grading up system using Blue-E genetics from Jonathan's property Woodstock, near Cowra, was undertaken and although breeding is halted for now it is planned to restart in 2019. A breed in the making, with upgrading to continue, the Norfolk Blue nonetheless has a direct blue line going back over 70 years that has been bred on, and adapted to, island conditions. It would have genes going back to all the breeds taken to the island over the past 200 or more years, which were the best of British and possibly the original African cattle too. Certainly there would be genes from the Carrington stock of 1888. Isolation has helped form a unique breed indeed.

Breed Traits: Beef breed. Coat is blue and white, much in the frame pattern, which breaks up the animals outline for camouflage and importantly the white areas help the animal keep cooler in hot weather. A breed that thrives on pasture and dresses a heavy beast off grass without the need of feed lotting. Tender beef full of flavour. Mid-sized breed. Good big frame, very good muscling. Quiet friendly temperament. 

Organisation: None. There is only one stud, Hundred Acre Farm on Norfolk Island, run by the Menghettis. Some information for this breed description taken from article kindly supplied by Robyn Menghetti, attached at the foot of this page.

Additional Notes:

Photo: Mr Bull, Norfolk Blue bull on Norfolk Island, kindly supplied by Robyn Menghetti.

Page by Janet Lane

 

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