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Irish-born Australian vigneron and politician

James Thomas Fallon
In office 23 December 1869 – 3 February 1872
Born	1819-23
Died	26 May 1886(1886-05-26) (aged 67)
Parents	James Fallon (father) Margaret (née Norton) (mother)

James Thomas Fallon (1823 – 26 May 1886) was an Irish-born winemaker who was a pioneer of the industry in Australia.

Fallon appears an intelligent and enterprising pioneer, whose initiative and persistence did much for his community and for the colonial wine industry.

James Thomas Fallon was born in about 1819-23 in Athlone in central Ireland, on the border of counties Roscommon and Westmeath, the son of James Fallon and Margaret (née Norton or Naughton). His father was a farmer.^[1][2]

Young James “received a good liberal education” at the Athlone Grammar School.^[3]

Fallon emigrated to Australia under the bounty immigration scheme, departing from Plymouth aboard the barque John Renwick and arriving at Sydney on 31 August 1841.^[1][4]

Fallon was described as “an Irishman of good position and attainments, but without any means”.^[5] In partnership with J. Plumb, Fallon leased a property called ‘Brisbane Meadows’, owned by the Mitchell family, in the Southern Tablelands district near Bungonia township.^[6][7] Fallon was involved in establishing a school at the nearby community of Bungonia.^[5]

In September 1851 alluvial gold was discovered in the Araluen Valley, south of Braidwood. By the end of October many of the miners attracted to the area began moving to nearby Upper Bell’s Creek, north of Araluen township, after gold was found there.^[8] By May 1852 Fallon had established a store on the goldfields at Bell’s Creek.^[9][10][11]

Fallon’s younger brother, Patrick Edwin Fallon, had remained in Ireland where he experienced “the horrors of the famine years” of 1847 and 1848. In 1852 he emigrated to the United States. After two years in New York Patrick Fallon emigrated to Melbourne to join his brother, arriving there in October 1854. The two brothers purchased “a quantity of goods” which they transported to the diggings at Yackandandah, one of the goldfields of ‘The Ovens’ goldrush that had commenced in 1852.^[12][13][5] The Fallon brothers established stores on the Yackandandah and Indigo goldfields.^[12] By 1854 James Fallon had established a general store at Albury.^[14]

In 1854 Fallon relocated to Albury and established a general store in Kiewa Street. Soon afterwards he formed a partnership “for the growth of grapes and the production of wine”. It was initially unsuccessful but Fallon and his brother had confidence in the business. Messrs. Fallon Brothers acquired ownership. Winemaking on their Murray Valley vineyard (the Fallon property) proved to be very successful. Selling Australian wines in the European market.^[15]

Opened a general store in Kiewa Street and became a part-owner of the river steamer Cumberoona.^[1]

First mayor of Albury from 1859 to 1862.^[15][1]

Active in community affairs. President of the Albury and Murray River Agricultural and Horticultural Society. Member of the Royal Colonial Institute.^[1]

He became a vigneron, being director of a Murray Valley-based company from 1858. In 1858 the Murray Valley Vineyard was established by a company of which Fallon was a director, but border customs caused a losses of about seven thousand pounds. The property was 640 acres (259 ha), of which 150 acres (61 ha) was under vine.^[1][16]

When the borough of Albury was incorporated as a municipality, Fallon was elected as an alderman and on 27 July 1859 he was chosen as the first mayor of Albury, a position to which he was re-elected in the following two years.^[2]

In about 1861 Fallon acquired the Murray Valley Vineyard, becoming the sole owner, and soon became a successful vigneron and wine merchant as well as storekeeper. His well-known cellars in Kiewa Street were the scene of many local celebrations.^[1]

In August 1866 Fallon formed a partnership with the Albury businessmen William M. N. Edmondson, George Day and Kenneth McLennan, Thomas H. Mate of Tarcutta, John Dight of ‘Bungowamah’ station and John Hore of ‘Cumberoona’ station. The partnership, trading as ‘W. M. N. Edmondson and others’, operated as a steam navigation company for the purpose of carrying passengers and goods on the inland rivers (principally the Murray, Murumbidgee and Darling rivers).^[17]

After the Melbourne railway reached Echuca in 1865, there was a busy steamer trade linking Albury, Howlong, Wahgunyah and Corowa to the rail head. The original Cumberoona was a vessel built at Echuca in 1866 for James Fallon.

Fallon recognised the value of “a proper and systematic development” of winemaking. In 1868 Fallon purchased the Murray Valley Vineyard. He enlarged the property and erected the largest cellars in the colony, giving practical proof “of the sincerity of his conviction that some day the wines of Australia would constitute the largest item on the list of Australian exports”.^[2]

For many years he carried on “a very large and flourishing trade, acquiring a considerable amount of freehold property”.^[2]

At the general election held in December 1869 and January 1870 there were two nominations to represent the Hume electorate in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. Fallon was opposed to the sitting member, Thomas H. Mate, who had held the seat since December 1860. Fallon topped the poll with 513 votes (or 57.8 percent).^[18][19]

He also became Albury’s representative in the NSW Colonial Parliament, was a strong advocate for public education and was instrumental in the founding of the Albury Model School (now part of Albury Primary School).

In 1872 Fallon declined to offer himself for re-election.^[15][20]

In about 1871 Fallon gave up his business in Albury and relocated to Sydney “for the purpose of entirely devoting himself to the development of the wine trade” and “of furthering the interests of winegrowers”.^[2]

Fallon’s wine cellars in Kiewa Street were situated below a brick building of offices and storage space. The cellars, supported by large pillars and cross pieces of river red gum, contained rows of oval casks, each with a capacity of 1500 gallons. In April 1872 the cellars were storing twenty thousand gallons of wine produced from the last season’s harvest from forty vineyards.^[21]

By 1872 he had set up a distillery, a central depot in Sydney and cellars in Melbourne and exported wine to England, America, India, Ceylon and New Zealand. His wines continued to win prizes, notably in 1873 at Vienna in 1873 and London in 1875, Bordeaux in 1882.^[1]

Fallon visited England on two occasions, “with a view to bring Australian wines more prominently before the British public”.^[2] In 1872-73 Fallon visited overseas vineyards and in December 1873 addressed the London Society of Arts on Australian vines and wines.^[22]

In 1872-73 Fallon visited overseas vineyards and in December 1873 addressed the London Society of Arts on Australian vines and wines (printed as The Murray Valley Vineyard … in 1874). He argued that the British duties discriminated against some colonial wines. He was contradicted by Dr Thudichum, who asserted that Fallon’s claims for the strength of colonial wines were opposed to all established scientific facts. On the same visit Fallon engaged L. Frere, a distinguished French vigneron, to manage his vineyard. On his return Fallon had his wines tested for alcoholic strength by the chief inspector of distilleries in Victoria and other impartial officials. The results bore out Fallon’s claims as the highest figure obtained was 32.4 per cent without fortification.^[1]

Fallon presented a paper before “the leading Scientific Association in England” where he pointed out the unjust operation of British tariffs, which “virtually excluded Australian wines on the erroneous assumption that their alcoholic strength was due to the presence of spirit artificially introduced”. He maintained that the strength of Australian wines “was due to natural causes”. Dr. Thudichum argued that “no wine could naturally contain so high a spirit strength”. The Chief Inspectors of Distilleries of both Victoria and New South Wales visited the Albury vineyards and Fallon had the grapes plucked and fermented under their personal supervision, resulting in Fallon’s contention being justified.^[2]

Fallon engaged L. Frere, a distinguished French vigneron, to manage his vineyard. His winery manufactured the first champagne from Australian grapes in 1876. Fallon showed that “first-class champagne” could be made in Australia “by engaging a French gentleman of large experience to come to Albury and superintend the manufacture”.^[2]

On 20 June 1876 in London Fallon presented these results, later published as The Wines of Australia, before the Royal Colonial Institute to which he was elected a member. Despite criticism by Dr Thudichum and Hubert de Castella, Fallon and the Victorian government eventually secured a sliding scale of duties on colonial wines.^[1][23]

James Thomas Fallon died “after a short illness” on 26 May 1886 at his residence, ‘Riverstone Cottage’ at Manly, aged 67.^[24]

Fallon’s remains were buried at Albury after a funeral held there on 29 May. The funeral was “the largest that has taken place there for many years”, with all the places of business being closed for the afternoon. The mayor and aldermen attended in a body.^[15]

Fallon was described in The Albury Banner newspaper as “a kindhearted man, of liberal views, generous disposition, and genial manner, he was a general favourite with all who enjoyed the pleasure of his acquaintance”.^[2]

The editorial in The Albury Banner foresaw a time when the wine industry in Australia attained great importance to the nation, “and when tbe time arrives, it must perforce be admitted that the foundations of the prosperity attained were in no small measure the work of J. T. Fallon of Albury”.^[2]

Fallon left his estate of twenty thousand pounds to his brother Patrick who carried on the vineyard. The vineyard was destroyed by phylloxera, but was replanted and wine was made there by the Fallon family until the 1930s.^[1]

• J. T. Fallon (1876), The Wines of Australia, “A Paper read before the Royal Colonial Institute on the 20th of June, 1876”, London: Unwin Brothers.

Sources