‘Paddy’ English, and pony Pinto
Story and photograph from John Ellis, about his grandfather Patrick English.
Image: Paddy and Pinto
We were very excited to be contacted by John Ellis via our website with a personal photograph of his grandfather mounted on a horse. He believed the photo to have been taken in the Malanda area of North Queensland in the 1940s. John asked if the horse could possibly be a Waler, based on what he had been looking at on the website.
Yes we replied! Definitely a real Waler pony, at least three parts Timor Pony, and depending on how tall his grandfather was, possibly all Timor. So rare and of great historical significance. We are just delighted John has sent further information so we can post this story for all to see, after asking his elderly mother for any details she could remember about the photograph.
‘His name was Patrick James English M.B.E., most people called him Paddy. Not sure of his birthdate but he died sometime in the 1970’s. His parents James & Catherine English were founders of the town of Malanda. He was a pioneer of the Malanda dairy industry. His horse was called Pinto according to my mother & most likely used a lot on his farm.’
Details submitted by John Ellis, 16 October 2022.
Thanks again John for making contact and to your mother for helping to fill in the details so we can all catch a glimpse through this wonderful window to our horse history.
