Riding the Sheep's Back

Riding the Sheep's Back: The Rise and Fall of John McNamara & Company tells the history of this iconic family of stock and station agents, well known in Victoria in the early 20th century.

From the family's origins in Ireland and John McNamara's arrival in Australia in 1841, to the early years of the family business and the eventual sale of John McNamara & Company to Australian Estates in the late 1940's, this is a fascinating account of both the family and the founding of what was a very successful company for many years.

Riding the Sheep's Back shares both the good and the bad, the beginnings and achievements of the company and the family businesses that so many of the McNamara family were a part of. It also tells of the unexpected, and in many ways tragic, final days of a company that had enjoyed such great success since it's early days at the Newmarket Saleyards.