Nambi

{{Short description|Pastoral lease in Western Australia}}

{{For|the figure in Ugandan mythology|Nambi (mythology)}}

{{Use Australian English|date=December 2013}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}

{{Location map|Western Australia|label=Nambi Station

|position=top

|lat_deg=28|lat_min=23|lat_sec=28|lat_dir=S

|lon_deg=121|lon_min=40|lon_sec=39|lon_dir=E

|caption=Location in Western Australia}}

Nambi is a pastoral lease and sheep station located about {{convert|65|km|mi|0}} north east of Leonora and {{convert|110|km|mi|0}} south east of Leinster in the Goldfields of Western Australia.

The station was established in 1899.{{cite web|url=http://www.rangelandswa.com.au/files/7/files/appendix_i_rangelands_subregions.pdf|title=Appendix I - The Rangelands' Sub-regions|date=28 February 2005|accessdate=7 August 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110310162423/http://www.rangelandswa.com.au/files/7/files/Appendix_I_Rangelands_SubRegions.pdf|archivedate=10 March 2011|df=dmy-all}}

The property was owned by the Leonora Pastoral company in 1925, who ran cattle on the leasehold. The company sold 129 mixed cattle at Midland Junction sales in December 1929,{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37681640 |title=Fat Cattle |newspaper=Western Mail |location=Perth, Western Australia |date=12 December 1929 |accessdate=1 August 2012 |page=42 |publisher=National Library of Australia}} another 28 in January 1930,{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37683315 |title=Fat Cattle |newspaper=Western Mail |location=Perth, Western Australia |date=9 January 1930 |accessdate=1 August 2012 |page=40 |publisher=National Library of Australia}} and another 30 in March 1930.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article38510835 |title=Fat Cattle |newspaper=Western Mail |location=Perth, Western Australia |date=20 March 1930 |accessdate=1 August 2012 |page=41 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

Plans were underfoot to change to sheep as early as 1925 when Geo Sexton, one of company directors, arrived at the station to commence fencing in preparation for the arrival of sheep at the station. The station had also recently purchased eight trucks.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58262492 |title=Leonora pastoral notes. |newspaper=Sunday Times |location=Perth, Western Australia |date=15 February 1925 |accessdate=2 August 2012 |page=24 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

By 1926 Nambi sold some of their first clip with 55 wool bales sold at the Perth sales in October 1926.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31955593 |title=Goldsbrough, Mort and company. |newspaper=The West Australian |location=Perth, Western Australia |date=20 October 1926 |accessdate=2 August 2012 |page=10 |publisher=National Library of Australia}} and another 46 bales in 1928.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article38376559 |title=Perth wool sales |newspaper=Western Mail |location=Perth, Western Australia |date=15 November 1928 |accessdate=2 August 2012 |page=50 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

Approximately 10,000 sheep were shorn at Nambi in 1928, with a total clip of 252 bales. The shearing shed had recently been fitted with six stands of Lister machinery, whereas shearing had been all done by hand in the past.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58406167 |title=Nambi Station woolshed, near Leonora. |newspaper=Sunday Times |location=Perth, Western Australia |date=11 November 1928 |accessdate=1 August 2012 |page=9 Section: Second Section |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

The Leonora Pastoral company put the property up for auction in 1930, advertising the property as having an area of {{convert|758321|acre|ha|0}} with tenure up until 1948. The station had {{convert|170|mi|km|0}} of 5 or 6 wire sheep-proof fencing enclosing {{convert|280000|acre|ha|0}} into 14 paddocks, and an additional {{convert|77|mi|km|0}} of cattle fencing also in place. Water was available from 23 wells complete with windmills for a flock of approximately 11,000 sheep, of which about 6,000 were breeding ewes, 70 cattle and 100 horses.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31073392 |title=Advertising. |newspaper=The West Australian |location=Perth, Western Australia |date=11 April 1930 |accessdate=2 August 2012 |page=3 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

The station was sold to the Murrum Pastoral Company and Mrs C. Fitzgerald in August 1930. They had bought the station for £18,600 with all plant but no sheep.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58396163 |title=Real Estate. |newspaper=Sunday Times |location=Perth, Western Australia |date=3 August 1930 |accessdate=4 August 2012 |page=15 |publisher=National Library of Australia}} At this time the station occupied an area of {{convert|758320|acre|ha|0}} and had over {{convert|250|mi|km|0}} of fencing in place. Having little surface water, the property also had 28 wells and in 1930 carried a flock of 9,500 sheep.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article33243651 |title=From gold to sheep |newspaper=The West Australian |location=Perth, Western Australia |date=1 June 1934 |accessdate=1 August 2012 |page=17 |publisher=National Library of Australia}} One of Nambi's neighbours is Clover Downs Station.

William Fitzgerald, of the Murrum Pastoral Company, died in December 1933, leaving his wife and two sons. One son, Cyril Irwin Fitzgerald, is the manager at Nambi, while the other, Victor Fitzgerald, is the manager at Murrum Station.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58710866 |title=A Pastoralist passes |newspaper=Sunday Times |location=Perth, Western Australia |date=24 December 1933 |accessdate=4 August 2012 |page=16 Section: First Section |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

In 1937 the station bought an additional 70 Bungaree blood rams from the Hagley stud in Tammin,{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article41303241 |title=Stock and Station |newspaper=The West Australian |location=Perth, Western Australia |date=13 May 1937 |accessdate=4 August 2012 |page=8 |publisher=National Library of Australia}} followed by another 25 in 1938.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article67343747 |title=Rural topics |newspaper=Geraldton Guardian and Express |location=Western Australia |date=31 March 1938 |accessdate=4 August 2012 |page=4 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

A station employee, William Paul, inadvertently shot himself with his own weapon outside the men's quarters in 1941. The bullet grazed his ribs and lodged in his left arm, but the wound was not serious.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47172655 |title=Man shot on Station. |newspaper=The West Australian |location=Perth, Western Australia |date=9 December 1941 |accessdate=4 August 2012 |page=3 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

The station had a good year in 1948 when 17,715 sheep were shorn and 465 bales of wool were collected, an increase of 3,500 sheep on the previous year. Lambing was estimated at 81%.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article46915801 |title=Nambi Station clip.|newspaper=The West Australian |location=Perth, Western Australia |date=17 June 1948 |accessdate=4 August 2012 |page=11 Edition: 3rd EDITION |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

Two shearers, members of Len Mitchell's shearing team, became lost when out shooting following rain; this held up shearing in 1949. The two men, Don McDonald and Ronald Bacon went shooting and became lost in the bush where they spent two of the coldest and wettest nights of the year. Both men were found safe and well about {{convert|12|mi|km|0}} from the homestead. Vehicles and trackers from the station covered over {{convert|400|mi|km|0}} in the search for the men.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47665815 |title=Shearers bushed.|newspaper=The West Australian |location=Perth, Western Australia |date=27 May 1949 |accessdate=4 August 2012 |page=25 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

The following year the station sold off 3,000 sheep to nearby Wilbah Station.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47847283 |title=Leonora sheep sales|newspaper=The West Australian |location=Perth, Western Australia |date=13 May 1950 |accessdate=4 August 2012 |page=25 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

Cyril Irwin Joseph Fitzgerald, who had owned and managed Nambi since 1933, died in January 1951, aged 41.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article48149136 |title=Family Notices. |newspaper=The West Australian |location=Perth, Western Australia |date=2 February 1951 |accessdate=4 August 2012 |page=25 |publisher=National Library of Australia}} He left his entire estate to his widow.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article48190175 |title=Three Estates. |newspaper=The West Australian |location=Perth, Western Australia |date=31 March 1951 |accessdate=4 August 2012 |page=10 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

Glencore Australia currently owns Nambi, along with three other nearby properties: Glenorn, Yundamindera and Minara Stations. In 2012 Glenorn and Nambi were running approximately 1,700 head of cattle.{{cite web |url= http://careers.minara.com.au/jobDetails.asp?sJobIDs=791483|title=Minara Resources - Pastoral Coordinator |year=2012 |accessdate=4 August 2012}} By 2016 all four stations were running a herd of cattle.