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"Plugger" Mcmahon To Be Honoured At Livestock Exchange

The old horse sale rotunda at the Bairnsdale Livestock Exchange is to be dedicated to the memory of local drover and farmer Les "Plugger" McMahon.

By East Gippsland Shire - 28th November 2005 - Back to News

The old horse sale rotunda at the Bairnsdale Livestock Exchange is to be dedicated to the memory of local drover and farmer Les "Plugger" McMahon.

The rotunda will be renamed the L A "Plugger" McMahon Memorial Rotunda at a ceremony on Saturday, 10 December at 10.30 a.m.

At the ceremony hosted by the Council’s next Mayor, a plaque to be mounted on an exterior wall will be unveiled by members of "Plugger’s" family.

Shire CEO Steve Kozlowski said "Plugger" and his family had many friends in the area and he hoped they would attend the ceremony.

"The public is most welcome to attend and it will provide a great chance to share in honouring the memory of a great character of a now bygone era."

The seventh of eleven children, the legendary stockman died on April 16 this year a month short of 82 years.

At 12, spinster sisters Misses Williamson first recognised his horse riding ability, and hired him as their rider of show jump horses. He had considerable success at shows in East Gippsland and beyond.

In his early 20s he took up employment with the local blacksmith, George Hadfield and learnt the art of blacksmithing, in particular shoeing horses. The pair also made every hinge for the original saleyards on the current site.

By day they would shoe horses, then work well into the night making each of the hinges by hand.

At 15 years of age "Plugger" made of the first of what became hundreds of droving trips from East Gippsland over the following 40-50 years.

Members of "Plugger’s" family as well as livestock industry friends and associates will attend the dedication ceremony.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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