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In February 1813 Hassall applied for the position of Superintendent of Governmemnt Stock, a
most unlikely seeming occupation for a man with his background, a fact which he appeared to
acknowledge as he said ''I flatter myself I should find no difficulty in paying due attention to...[the
positon] by having an active person under my direction, which we can easily find''. It was not until
March 1814 that Macquarie appointed him to the post at a salary of £100 per year, and there he
remained until 1819, assisted by his son, Samuel. This position put him in control of the
Cowpastures, the most extensive run in the colony. He was responsible for the distribution of cattle
and for the maintenance of the herds. He accepted cattle in payment for debts owed to the
government. He decided which cattle were to be slaughtered and after the establishment of the herds
on the Bathurst plains, arranged for those cattle to be brought back over the Blue Mountains. He
build stockyards, a mill and a residence for the Principle Overseer at the Cowpastures. He valued the
stockyards built at Bathurst by William Cox which the government wished to buy. He fenced areas
for the keeping of cattle at Rooty Hill and built there house and offices for the accomodation of the
Principle Overseer of Government stock.77

[Picture]
Site of Rooty Hill Government Depot. The buildings built under Hassall's
supervision later became a private dwelling, know as Thornleigh which
was demolished in the early 1960's.
From Proudfoot, Helen, Exploring Sydney's West.

In April 1815 Governer Macquarie and his wife took their carriage on a journey pm Cox's mew
road over the Blue Mountains to Bathurst. From Parramatta to the first depot after the Nepean River,
Rowland Hassall accompanied the Governor. At Emu Plains Macquarie inspected the government
herd of yound heifers gathered specially in the government stockyards there by Hassall. During the
journey Macquarie visited Hassall's farm on the Nepean, which he described as ''very finely situated
and beautiful'' and was delighted that Hassall had called them from the farm Macquarie Grove. While they
were there Divine Service was performed on the verandah of the house (now called Hassall Cottage)
and it was attended by the whole party and the Hassall family. Macquarie recorded that his favourite
greyhound, Oscar, had died there and he ''ordered him to be buried in a part of the farm of Macquarie
Grove''. On the way back Macquarie stopped at Mrs King's farm on the Nepean River which was
at that stage being managed by Rowland Hassall who provided Macquarie and his party with a ''most
excellent dinner''.78

In August 1815 Hassall went to Bathurst to inspect the government herds there. The weather
was very cold with stong winds and sleet. While they were sleeping at the Jamieson Valley, the
party had a fright when Lieutenant Lawson woke them at 2 a.m. to seek refuge:
''When Mr Lawson entered the Store room where we slept we were nearly all
affrighted at his appearance what with his meagre face, being wet, cold, & starved with a

77 Colonial Secretary's Correspondence, various reels.
78 Macquarie, Lachlan, Lachlan Macquarie: Governor of New South Wales: Journals of his Tours in New
South Wales and Van Dieman's Land, Public Libray of New South Wales, 1956.

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