Rodeo Days 1930s-1950s

In the 1950s, the Crawford brothers were on the Australian rodeo circuit, where Ray Crawford became a champion rough rider. The video is about this generation of brothers and sisters, our family and those times. Newsreel footage and music from the 1930s-1950s.

Video narration:

My family name at birth was Crawford. I have many close and distant cousins, lots I haven't met. We're spread over far distances in at least three states of Australia. But, before some of us can remember, we all come from a family that once lived around the Nowra area of south coast New South Wales. Our ancestors were there for about 100 years. Our earliest Crawford family were settlers and workers on the land, who first arrived in New South Wales in the mid 1850s. They were from Armagh, Northern Ireland, in particular the area around Tandragee.

Tandragee Main Street, County Armagh, Northern Ireland

Nowra Bridge over Shoalhaven River, NSW, Australia

The generation of my Australian-born father, Len Crawford (1931-2003), was the last of our family to call the Nowra area home. He had three brothers - Mervyn (1926-1990), Ray (1927-1996) and Barry Crawford (1934-1995); and two sisters - Dawn (1936-2001) and Valma Crawford (1942-1984). They were all the children of Joseph Crawford and Annie Ganderton, who had been born in Nowra too.

L to R: Len, Dawn, Ray, Valma, Barry, Mervyn Crawford, mid-1940s

L to R: Ray, Len, Barry, Mervyn Crawford, late-1930s

The family lived through the Great Depression of the 1930s, a time of hardship in Australia and around the world. In the mid-1940s, Annie was left a single mother with six children. Sons, Mervyn and Ray, were near adult age, but Len, Barry, Dawn and Valma were all younger. Their father, Joe, had gone to Wilcannia, away in the north-west of the state. Around the same time, Ray Crawford, aged about 20, started making a name for himself as a rough rider at rodeos. Over the next decade his brothers, Barry, Len and Mervyn, were on the rodeo trail too.

Ray Crawford in 'The Argus', Melbourne, 22 Sep 1952

Rodeo drew huge crowds in the 1930s. At a 1932 event in Adelaide, South Australia, the crowd was estimated between 45 and 65,000 people, far beyond the capacity of the Jubilee Oval where it was held (1). The 1950s were also a peak time for the sport in Australia. This was when the Crawford brothers, especially Ray Crawford, were travelling Australia, proving their skill and talent as horsemen and rough riders.

Barry 'Bo' Crawford married Claire-Ann Stagg, they had three children

Mervyn Crawford married Valerie Howarth, they had five children

Their interest in rodeo intermingled with their work. They were country labourers and horse breakers. Another reason to follow the rodeos was money. For example, at the Warwick Rodeo in Queensland in the 1940s, the open buckjump prize was $200. The weekly wage for a labourer back then was about ten dollars (2). Beer drinking was a big part of the rodeo circuit, but Ray Crawford is said to have never been a drinker and ordered lemonade at the pub. Newspaper reports at the time record the many broken bones for those rough riders, and worse. My father, Len, broke a collarbone, and my uncle Ray rode a buckjumper at least once with a broken arm in plaster.

Len Crawford married Maria Christie, they had one daughter

A rider's showmanship and dress could be part of it too. A 1952 newspaper item mentions Ray Crawford's "pretty boots, chaps and spectacular hat" (3). He later went to the USA as a whip cracker as well as a rough rider. The music that went with the rodeo trail was contributed by artists like Slim Dusty and Buddy Williams, among others. Buddy Williams later recorded two songs Len Crawford wrote (Let's Ride at the Rodeo and Where The Pretty Yellow Wattle Grows, from the 1975 albums, Hittin the Road Again and Thanks To You).

Ray Crawford married June Cugley, they had three children

Ray Crawford had an illustrious ongoing career in rodeo, and in 1976 was awarded an Order of Australia for his services to the sport (4). Barry Crawford also continued working horses and riding rodeos for decades. Len and Mervyn later took different paths. Sisters, Dawn and Valma Crawford, married and had children.

Mervyn Crawford was the grandfather of Canberra Raiders rugby player, Terry Campese. Ray Crawford was the grandfather of AFL football and media legend, Shane Crawford, and his brother Justin who also played league football. There are Crawfords still riding rodeos. Between them, the Crawford siblings had 15 children. To this day, there are another two generations of their childrens' children and grandchildren beyond.

Dawn Crawford married Ken 'Nobby' Clarke, they had two daughters

Valma Crawford married John Conway, they had one son

View earlier ancestry of the family

View more family photos

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Thanks to Maria Crawford, Kay Parker, Nita Crawford, John Conway, Lesley Crawford and Nigel Wells for information, photographs and assistance in making the video.