# William Liddle

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{{Short description|Australian pastoralist (1888–1959)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = William Liddle
| image              = 
| caption            = 
| birth_date         = 2 December 1888
| birth_place        = [Angaston, South Australia](/source/Angaston%2C_South_Australia)
| death_date         = 8 September 1959
| death_place        = 
| spouse             = 
| children           = 
}}

'''William Hurle Liddle''' (2 December 1888 – 8 September 1959) was a pastoralist who established Angas Downs Station (now [Angus Downs Indigenous Protected Area](/source/Angas_Downs_Indigenous_Protected_Area)), in [Central Australia](/source/Central_Australia), taking up the first pastoral lease in 1929.

== Early life ==

Liddle, of Scottish descent, was born in [Angaston, South Australia](/source/Angaston%2C_South_Australia) to Thomas and Matilda Ann Liddle.

== Life in the Northern Territory ==

Liddle came to [Alice Springs](/source/Alice_Springs) as a young man, to work at the [Alice Springs Telegraph Station](/source/Alice_Springs_Telegraph_Station), in 1907. This is where he met, and married, Mary Earwaker the daughter of the blacksmith and a local [Arrernte](/source/Arrernte_people) woman, in 1912.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=The history of Alice Springs through street names|last=Petrick, Jose.|date=1989|publisher=J. Petrick|others=Petrick, Jose.|isbn=0731644379|location=Alice Springs, N.T.|oclc=27577058}}</ref>

Following their marriage (during which they had four children) Liddle worked as a contractor for [Gerhardt Johannsen](/source/Gerhardt_Johannsen), and constructed many of the stone buildings at [Arltunga](/source/Arltunga_Historical_Reserve), including the Arltunga Police Station.

William left Mary in Alice Springs. He then started working at a number of local cattle stations including [Maryvale Station](/source/Maryvale_Station), Mount Burrell, Bowson's Hole, [Hamilton Downs](/source/Hamilton_Downs_Station) and finally King's Creek Station before establishing his own station Angas Downs: named for his home town.<ref name=":1" />

Angas Downs, 300&nbsp;km southwest of Alice Springs, was first visited by Liddle in 1922 when, in dire circumstances, he found water at "Liddle Hills" and built a homestead there. He visited again in 1927 when over-landing 2000 sheep to South Australia.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Station History: Angas Downs|last=Forrest|first=Peter|date=27 July 1984|work=Centralian Advocate}}</ref> A formal lease was not officially granted until 1929. The [Anangu](/source/A%E1%B9%89angu) name for this place is Walara.<ref name=":2">{{Cite thesis |title=(un)making Angas Downs: a spatial history of a Central Australian pastoral station 1930–1980 |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/version/248732493 |date=2017-06-27 |degree=PhD |language=en |first=Shannyn |last=Palmer}}</ref>

In 1932 [H.H. Finlayson](/source/Hedley_Herbert_Finlayson) stayed with Liddle at Angas Downs and, although it was his primary purpose of his expedition to study mammals he took many photographs and recordings of Aboriginal people here.<ref name=":2" /> Whilst there, Liddle fathered several more children such as [Bob Randall](/source/Bob_Randall_(Aboriginal_Australian_elder)). This attracted the attention of the authorities and many of these children were taken to become members of the [Stolen Generations](/source/Stolen_Generations). 

In 1948 Liddle sold Angas Downs to two of his sons, Arthur and [Milton Liddle](/source/Milton_Liddle). The brothers, and their Aboriginal descendants, ran sheep and then cattle until the 1990s when, following financial struggles, they sold to the Imanpa Development Association Inc. and it became the [Angas Downs Indigenous Protected Area](/source/Angas_Downs_Indigenous_Protected_Area).<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wilson |first1=George |last2=Smits |first2=Jennifer |date=2012 |title=Conservation for culture and livelihoods – Angas Downs, NT |url=http://rgdoi.net/10.13140/2.1.3720.1608 |journal= |publisher=Australian Committee for IUCN |doi=10.13140/2.1.3720.1608 |via=ResearchGate}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liddle, William}}
Category:1888 births
Category:1959 deaths
Category:Australian pastoralists
Category:People from Angaston, South Australia

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [William Liddle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Liddle) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Liddle?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.