Page 126 - Hereford Magazine 2021

The Whalesback

Station dynasty

R1 heifers on The Whalesback Station.

When Canterbury cattle breeders extol the running of the total enterprise from his father. The outright
merits of the Hereford breed, the commercial purchase of the 243ha Highfield home base secured the
herd belonging to the Northcote family and The Northcote involvement permanently in the Mason River Valley.
In 1979, a bold initiative to offer both The Whalesback and
Whalesback Station will soon surface. Doc Sidey The Doone for public auction was considered the fairest way
tells the story. for seven different families to access their inheritance, and
from this auction, Tommy Northcote’s two sons – Peter, Arthur,
he Whalesback Station name invites curiosity; a and daughter Roma (Wanklyn) – secured their ownership of
large and rounded hill on the property with its The Whalesback, with The Doone on the northern boundary
slope and contour reminds you of a beached whale sold to other interests.
stranded on the shoreline. But the property and its In 1993, the three siblings settled the ownership of The
THereford herd has a well-won reputation stretching Whalesback to Peter Northcote and his family. Peter’s sons
over at least four family generations. are now involved, with Hugh and his wife Jane managing The
The Northcote family has been on this land since 1884, but Whalesback, which now is a 4000ha property, and Michael and
its history starts when a run in northern Amuri was designated his wife Solvieg managing Highfield. The two properties are
the name Highfield in the 1860s. It comprised 29,805 hectares about 25km apart, which, with the nature of the road, is about
and was originally owned by John Scott Caverhill. Caverhill was 25 minutes’ travel time.
involved with the early settlement of several North Canterbury The family acknowledges the input of three long-serving
stations but never stayed in one place for any length of time. His managers: Johnny Clark (23 years), Pat Jennings (17 years)
stock returns in the late 1860s showed he ran only 6000 sheep; and Alistair Campbell (33 years). Hugh and Michael are quick
however, it was a long time before the fencing of boundary to acknowledge the input and encouragement from their
lines existed. The early station owners employed boundary Uncle Arthur in maintaining and now expanding their land
riders who rode on horseback to ensure stock were contained area. A 191ha property near the eastern edge of Highfield was
within legal boundaries. It was a lonely life, with the most added about 20 years ago, along with irrigation, which means
basic of huts for accommodation and only dogs and a horse cattle from The Whalesback are sent there to be finished. It’s
for company. Highfield had four different owners before it was also home for older ewes put to a terminal sire.
bought in 1884 by an entity called H. Wharton & Co., which was, The Hereford herd is maintained at 450 mixed-age cows. Apart
in modern terms, a farming syndicate. It included James and from 25 surplus heifer calves being sold at weaning to a regular
Frank Northcote and had 48,000 sheep – nearly two sheep to the buyer, all remaining bull and heifer calves are grown out on
hectare. In 1903, the property was offered for sale in nine blocks. winter crop at Highfield. The replacement heifer calves return
The Northcote brothers, now free of the constraints of the to The Whalesback as two-year-olds with calves at foot. A large
Wharton syndicate, purchased two of these blocks. One they portion of these bull calves are sold into the dairy industry.
named The Whalesback and the other The Doone. This gave them The herd’s surplus stock has always had a great reputation.
a holding of more than 7700ha, and they also leased the property The commercial herd converted from Shorthorn to Hereford
near Waiau township that had retained the Highfield name. with the purchase of Glacier-run bulls bred by Lorne Williams.
Frank Northcote was a bachelor, but James married Edith The foundation of the Leader stud herd by Pip Le Cren in the
Lance from Horsley Down Station near Hawarden. Their 1950s near Parnassus saw a change to a more local bull source.
children, Tommy and Betty, were born soon after. Tommy was The Northcotes had secured first pick of the 40 bulls Leader
to manage The Doone in his early years, before taking over the offered, often buying three a year until the dispersal of that

124 HEREFORD MAGAZINE Year 2021