Site 9 – Hector Radford Agency
For many years, stock and station agents were among the most important business people in rural communities. Long before mobile phones, computers and online livestock sales, local graziers relied on their agents to organise wool sales, livestock transactions, insurance, transport and property matters.
By the 1930s, Hector Radford and Tom Atkinson were operating one of Burren Junction’s best-known agency businesses. Their partnership represented a growing district where agriculture and grazing formed the backbone of the local economy.
The agency acted on behalf of several major companies and also served as a forwarding depot for local producers. Wool, livestock and supplies were organised through the business, linking Burren Junction’s farmers and graziers with markets across New South Wales and beyond. Tom Atkinson’s son, Ted, later recalled that local landholders depended heavily on the agency to handle stock and wool consignments, which were stored in large sheds before transport to market.
One of the most remarkable events in the history of this building occurred in 1937 when it was moved to its present location in Alma Street. Originally constructed by Hamilton Spier and Harry Jones in front of Harry Jones’ residence, the office was relocated using Jack McCann’s bullock team. The entire building was hauled through town on skids, a task that required considerable skill, patience and teamwork. A remarkable photograph survives of the relocation, showing the office being moved by bullock team through Burren Junction. It provides a rare glimpse into the ingenuity and determination of rural communities, where even entire buildings could be moved using little more than timber skids, bullock power and hard work.
When Tom Atkinson left the partnership during the 1940s, Hector Radford continued operating the agency for many years. His name became closely associated with the business and with the pastoral industry throughout the district.
Several other agencies also operated in Burren Junction over the years. Dick Garvey combined his role as Secretary of the Pastures Protection Board with agency work, while Len and Rod Sevil, Don Campion and Peter Tapscott all provided agency services to local producers. As larger firms gradually absorbed smaller wool and stock agencies, the need for independent local agents declined. By the mid-1970s, the era of the small Burren Junction agency had come to an end.
Today, this site serves as a reminder of a time when stock and station agents played a vital role in connecting local producers with markets, suppliers and services across the state. Their work helped support the farming and grazing industries that remain central to the Burren Junction district.
Historical information sourced primarily from Visions of the Plains – A History of Burren Junction and District (2nd Edition) by Judy Field, together with local family recollections and community records.
Photos
The former Hector Radford Agency building as it appears today. Originally relocated by bullock team in 1937, it remains an important reminder of Burren Junction’s pastoral and commercial heritage.
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The Hector Radford Agency building being moved to its present location in Alma Street by Jack McCann’s bullock team in 1937.
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The original agency office before its relocation. Stock and station agents played a vital role in supporting local graziers and farmers throughout the district.