On 31 July 1912, 79 year-old George Henry Hedger died at his home, Langllan, Sydney Road, Manly. He was buried in plot B.608 of Manly Cemetery. Newspaper obituaries of the day stated that Mr Hedger was regarded as the model for Banjo Paterson’s poem, The Man from Snowy River. The Sun’s obituary stated “He it was who was the original upon which Mr A B Paterson penned the version which did much to make his reputation.” The Sun went on to state: “Over mountain range, down precipice, and into deep recess of ravine, over rugged acclivity and ground encumbered by rock and felled tree he rode his horse, hunted the wild mob, and by cooee, with crack of stock-whip and bark of dog, rounded in the clean-skins and unbranded beasts in a manner that astounded the new chum and puzzled all.”
George Hedger was born in Hobart, Tasmania in May 1833, and moved to the Monaro district when he was nine years old, accompanying the Crisp family. In his adulthood he made his name as a stock-rider and bushman. He settled at Matong, on the Snowy River. He sold that station and settled at Woods’ Point, Bombala. Latterly, he came to Manly, where he lived at Sydney Road from about 1908 onwards. Langllan was on the north side of Sydney Road, between West Street and Dudley Street, not far from present-day Balgowlah Park.
At the age of 70 he married Amelia Payne at Wellington, NSW, in 1903. They had children George H Hedger, born Coonabarabran, 1904; and Eva M Hedger, born Coonabarabran, 1906. It is not clear whether George had children (or indeed a wife) surviving from an earlier marriage.
At his funeral, which was taken by Rev A G Stoddart of St Matthew’s Church, Manly, it was noted that Mr Hedger had lamented the choice of Canberra as the nation’s capital - he had been of the belief that “Dalgety, or better still, Bombala was just the place for it”.
George Hedger was not the sole candidate for the honour of inspiring Paterson’s poem, and Paterson himself did not state that any one bushman was the model for his heroic horseman.
George Hedger was born in Hobart, Tasmania in May 1833, and moved to the Monaro district when he was nine years old, accompanying the Crisp family. In his adulthood he made his name as a stock-rider and bushman. He settled at Matong, on the Snowy River. He sold that station and settled at Woods’ Point, Bombala. Latterly, he came to Manly, where he lived at Sydney Road from about 1908 onwards. Langllan was on the north side of Sydney Road, between West Street and Dudley Street, not far from present-day Balgowlah Park.
At the age of 70 he married Amelia Payne at Wellington, NSW, in 1903. They had children George H Hedger, born Coonabarabran, 1904; and Eva M Hedger, born Coonabarabran, 1906. It is not clear whether George had children (or indeed a wife) surviving from an earlier marriage.
At his funeral, which was taken by Rev A G Stoddart of St Matthew’s Church, Manly, it was noted that Mr Hedger had lamented the choice of Canberra as the nation’s capital - he had been of the belief that “Dalgety, or better still, Bombala was just the place for it”.
George Hedger was not the sole candidate for the honour of inspiring Paterson’s poem, and Paterson himself did not state that any one bushman was the model for his heroic horseman.
