Robert Kaleski
Encyclopedia
Robert Kaleski was a self-taught writer, bushman, environmentalist and canine authority living in New South Wales at the turn of the nineteenth century. While he is perhaps best known for his role in breeding the Australian Cattle Dog
he also developed the first breed standard for the Australian Kelpie
, wrote on a number of practical subjects for the newspapers of the time, and published works of fiction in magazines such as The Bulletin
. In addition Kaleski patented his designs for improved farm implements, and developed and applied successful theories of soil management in times of drought.
A bachelor, he spent most of his life on his farm at Moorebank
, where a street is now named in his honour. He died at the age of 84.
and Heidelberg Universities, and from there to Australia where he re-built a career as a mining engineer and assayer. Robert Kaleski was born on 19th January, 1877 at Burwood
in Sydney. Ill health as a child led to him spending long periods with a relative at Holsworthy
, where he attended little school but learned much about the local bush.
In his teens, living in Sydney with access to a good library, he educated himself and began studying for a legal career, however he abandoned his studies at the age of twenty-one and went droving
. He had a series of jobs in the bush including working on a property at Grenfell
and timber getting on the Dorrigo Plateau
before taking up a small selection
at Holsworthy in 1904.
and the dingo
. In 1893 he was a member of the Cattle Dog Club of Sydney, and one of a group of members who bred from bloodlines originating from Thomas Hall's "heelers"
and called their dogs the Australian Cattle Dog
.
In 1903 he drew up the first standard
for the Australian Cattle Dog, and in 1904 the first standard for the Kelpie
and another variety of sheepdog he called the Barb
, a breed which is now considered synonomous with the Kelpie. These standards were accepted by the leading breeders of the time, published in The Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales, adopted by the Kennel Club of New South Wales, and became the guidelines for breeders and judges Australia-wide.
Kaleski founded the Cattle and Sheepdog Club of Australia. A dedicated breeder, he also worked his dogs with stock, and both exhibited and judged dogs in the show ring. With his dog Nugget (1908-12) he founded a noted line of Australian Cattle Dogs that included champions such as Clovelly Mavis and Clovelly Biddy.
He wrote The Australian settler's complete guide : scientific and practical published in 1909. Targetting British migrants, it was "written for the man on the land and for intending settlers in New South Wales" and contained detailed information about all types of farming, and the equipment needed. In it Kaleski gave practical directions for such essential tasks as Building the Hut.
In 1914 his articles and stories on dogs were re-published in book form as Australian Barkers and Biters, with illustrations by Hugh Maclean. In 1933 he published a completely revised edition which embodied his theories on the origin of the dog, and which had photographs instead of illustrations. Another revised edition of Barkers and Biters was published posthumously in 1987.
Kaleski is mentioned in Dame Mary Gilmore
's 1922 book of prose poems entitled Hound of the Road, "But who has written our dog? Kaleski? Kaleski wrote dogs, not
the dog."
Kaleski's writings were based on his experiences. Sir Joseph Carruthers
noted his keen powers of observation, likening him to the naturalist Jean Henri Fabre
. Carruthers described Kaleski as an interesting conversationalist who wrote as he spoke, "with wit and brevity".
which reached its climax in late 1901 and 1902, and devised a water and soil management scheme to offset the effects of drought. In 1918 he bought a run-down farm at Moorebank, near Liverpool. He restored the 300 acres (121.4 ha) of Thorn Hill, applying his theories on land management. He lived at Thorn Hill until his death, and continued to experiment with plant breeding and other agricultural developments.
Kaleski was a Fellow of the Linnean Society of New South Wales
.
Australian Cattle Dog
The Australian Cattle Dog is a breed of herding dog originally developed in Australia for droving cattle over long distances across rough terrain. In the 19th century, New South Wales cattle farmer Thomas Hall crossed the dogs used by drovers in his parents' home county, Northumberland, with...
he also developed the first breed standard for the Australian Kelpie
Australian Kelpie
The Kelpie is an Australian sheep dog successful at mustering and droving with little or no command guidance. They are medium-sized dogs and come in a variety of colours...
, wrote on a number of practical subjects for the newspapers of the time, and published works of fiction in magazines such as The Bulletin
The Bulletin
The Bulletin was an Australian weekly magazine that was published in Sydney from 1880 until January 2008. It was influential in Australian culture and politics from about 1890 until World War I, the period when it was identified with the "Bulletin school" of Australian literature. Its influence...
. In addition Kaleski patented his designs for improved farm implements, and developed and applied successful theories of soil management in times of drought.
A bachelor, he spent most of his life on his farm at Moorebank
Moorebank, New South Wales
Moorebank is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Moorebank is located 27 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Liverpool....
, where a street is now named in his honour. He died at the age of 84.
Early years
Robert Lucian Stanislaus Kaleski was the son of a Polish mining engineer, John Kaleski, and his English wife Isabel, nee Falder. Political pressures in Poland led John Kaleski to move to Germany, where he held academic appointments at BonnUniversity of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
and Heidelberg Universities, and from there to Australia where he re-built a career as a mining engineer and assayer. Robert Kaleski was born on 19th January, 1877 at Burwood
Burwood, New South Wales
Burwood is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Burwood is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of Burwood Council....
in Sydney. Ill health as a child led to him spending long periods with a relative at Holsworthy
Holsworthy, New South Wales
Holsworthy is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Holsworthy is located 31 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Liverpool and partly in the Sutherland Shire.Holsworthy is most notable for...
, where he attended little school but learned much about the local bush.
In his teens, living in Sydney with access to a good library, he educated himself and began studying for a legal career, however he abandoned his studies at the age of twenty-one and went droving
Droving
Droving is the practice of moving livestock over large distances by walking them "on the hoof".Droving stock to market, usually on foot and often with the aid of dogs, has a very long history in the old world...
. He had a series of jobs in the bush including working on a property at Grenfell
Grenfell, New South Wales
Grenfell is a country town in the Central West of New South Wales, Australia, in Weddin Shire. It is 370 kilometres west of Sydney and five hours' drive from the city. It is close to Forbes, Cowra and Young. At the 2006 census, Grenfell had a population of 1,994.-History:Prior to European...
and timber getting on the Dorrigo Plateau
Dorrigo Plateau
Dorrigo Plateau is a plateau in northern New South Wales, which forms part of the Great Dividing Range. The plateau is sometimes referred to as the Dorrigo & Guy Fawkes Plateau....
before taking up a small selection
Selection (Australian history)
Selection referred to "free selection before survey" of crown land in some Australian colonies under land legislation introduced in the 1860s. These acts were similar to the United States Homestead Act and were intended to encourage closer settlement, based on intensive agriculture, such as...
at Holsworthy in 1904.
Dog expert
Kaleski became a dog owner at the age of six years, and was a lifelong student of the dogDog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
and the dingo
Dingo
The Australian Dingo or Warrigal is a free-roaming wild dog unique to the continent of Australia, mainly found in the outback. Its original ancestors are thought to have arrived with humans from southeast Asia thousands of years ago, when dogs were still relatively undomesticated and closer to...
. In 1893 he was a member of the Cattle Dog Club of Sydney, and one of a group of members who bred from bloodlines originating from Thomas Hall's "heelers"
Halls Heeler
The Halls Heeler was a dog bred by Thomas Simpson Hall to herd cattle on the Hall family's extensive properties in north-western New South Wales in the 19th century. On Dartbrook Station, in the Upper Hunter Valley, Hall selectively crossed the offspring of Northumberland Drover's Dogs that he had...
and called their dogs the Australian Cattle Dog
Australian Cattle Dog
The Australian Cattle Dog is a breed of herding dog originally developed in Australia for droving cattle over long distances across rough terrain. In the 19th century, New South Wales cattle farmer Thomas Hall crossed the dogs used by drovers in his parents' home county, Northumberland, with...
.
In 1903 he drew up the first standard
Breed standard (dogs)
A breed standard in the dog fancy is a set of guidelines covering specific externally observable qualities such as appearance, movement, and temperament for that dog breed...
for the Australian Cattle Dog, and in 1904 the first standard for the Kelpie
Australian Kelpie
The Kelpie is an Australian sheep dog successful at mustering and droving with little or no command guidance. They are medium-sized dogs and come in a variety of colours...
and another variety of sheepdog he called the Barb
Australian Kelpie
The Kelpie is an Australian sheep dog successful at mustering and droving with little or no command guidance. They are medium-sized dogs and come in a variety of colours...
, a breed which is now considered synonomous with the Kelpie. These standards were accepted by the leading breeders of the time, published in The Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales, adopted by the Kennel Club of New South Wales, and became the guidelines for breeders and judges Australia-wide.
Kaleski founded the Cattle and Sheepdog Club of Australia. A dedicated breeder, he also worked his dogs with stock, and both exhibited and judged dogs in the show ring. With his dog Nugget (1908-12) he founded a noted line of Australian Cattle Dogs that included champions such as Clovelly Mavis and Clovelly Biddy.
Writer
Under a variety of pen names, including 'Falder' his mother's maiden name, Kaleski wrote a number of articles on bush life for the Sydney Mail, Sydney Morning Herald, and Worker, and short fiction for The Bulletin. His articles on dogs and other animals were also featured in A. G. Stephens's literary magazine called The Bookfellow. In association with the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW, the Forestry Commission of New South Wales, and the NSW Department of Agriculture he published articles on working dogs and settler life, and on the Australian bush.He wrote The Australian settler's complete guide : scientific and practical published in 1909. Targetting British migrants, it was "written for the man on the land and for intending settlers in New South Wales" and contained detailed information about all types of farming, and the equipment needed. In it Kaleski gave practical directions for such essential tasks as Building the Hut.
In 1914 his articles and stories on dogs were re-published in book form as Australian Barkers and Biters, with illustrations by Hugh Maclean. In 1933 he published a completely revised edition which embodied his theories on the origin of the dog, and which had photographs instead of illustrations. Another revised edition of Barkers and Biters was published posthumously in 1987.
Kaleski is mentioned in Dame Mary Gilmore
Mary Gilmore
Dame Mary Gilmore DBE was a prominent Australian socialist poet and journalist.-Early life:Mary Jean Cameron was born on 16 August 1865 at Cotta Walla near Goulburn, New South Wales...
's 1922 book of prose poems entitled Hound of the Road, "But who has written our dog? Kaleski? Kaleski wrote dogs, not
the dog."
Kaleski's writings were based on his experiences. Sir Joseph Carruthers
Joseph Carruthers
Sir Joseph Hector McNeil Carruthers KCMG was an Australian politician and Premier of New South Wales.According to Percival Serle, few premiers of New South Wales succeeded in doing so much distinguished work...
noted his keen powers of observation, likening him to the naturalist Jean Henri Fabre
Jean Henri Fabre
Jean-Henri Casimir Fabre was a French entomologist and author.-Life:Fabre was born in Saint-Léons in Aveyron, France....
. Carruthers described Kaleski as an interesting conversationalist who wrote as he spoke, "with wit and brevity".
Bushman
Kaleski is described as a "true bushman and environmentalist". He was keenly interested in argiculture, inventing and patenting a number of new or improved farm implements and practical tools. He lived through the devastating Federation DroughtFederation Drought
In Australia, the Federation Drought is the name given to a prolonged period of drought that occurred around the time of Federation in 1901.Though often thought of as a long drought, until the record dry year of 1902 the period was actually one of a number of very dry spells intercepted with wetter...
which reached its climax in late 1901 and 1902, and devised a water and soil management scheme to offset the effects of drought. In 1918 he bought a run-down farm at Moorebank, near Liverpool. He restored the 300 acres (121.4 ha) of Thorn Hill, applying his theories on land management. He lived at Thorn Hill until his death, and continued to experiment with plant breeding and other agricultural developments.
Kaleski was a Fellow of the Linnean Society of New South Wales
Linnean Society of New South Wales
The Linnean Society of New South Wales promotes the Cultivation and Study of the Science of Natural History in all its Branches and was founded in Sydney, New South Wales in 1874 and incorporated in 1884. It succeeded the Entomological Society of New South Wales, founded in 1862 and folded in...
.