Mr Frederick Peppin
Agriculture stalwart and owner of cow with the most milk
All eyes were on Dairymaid at the 1887 Royal Melbourne Show as she rose to the challenge in the newly introduced ‘largest quantity of milk’ competition.
The imported Holstein produced an impressive 123 pounds of milk and earned her owner, Mr Frederick Peppin, £10 prize money.
Mr Peppin has a longstanding history with the Port Phillips Farmers Society (PPFS), which evolved into the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria. The station owner and Merino breeder is also intrinsically tied to the foundation of the Peppin Merino in Australia.
From 1871 to 1897, the council elected six vice-presidents and Mr Peppin is recorded as serving nine terms. He was later elected president from 1893-94.
The National Agricultural Society was formed in 1870 from the PPFS but at a council meeting in 1889 it was proposed to alter the name from National to Royal. It was a heated meeting but Mr Peppin supported the motion wholeheartedly. Hailing from England, he said he liked anything that savoured royalty and hoped it would be a long time before members of the society felt ashamed of being loyal.
Mr Peppin died on January 29, 1911 at the age of 83.
Image Source: Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria Jubilee Show Pictorial Souvenir Booklet, 1921. Melbourne Royal Heritage Collection.