Owen Cummins

Owen Stephen Cummins (13 September 1874 – 25 August 1953) was a stockman, drover and horse breeder who is thought to be one of the possible inspirations for the poem A Man from Snowy River by Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson.

Very early on he earned a reputation of a fearless rough rider and one of his feats was to jump from the top rail of a fence onto the backs of young horses without a saddle or a bridle.

[1] He began droving at an early age and started working in the Snowy Mountains and Riverina districts where he developed a good reputation and was well known for his skill throughout the region.

[2] During his employment there he was frequently required to travel to and from Wave Hill Station; he was identified by Gurindji man Ronnie Wavehill as someone who shot Aboriginal people "in the early days".

[5] There are, however, other accounts saying that he saved a number of people during the Blackfellows Knob Massacre of 1895 (nearby Victoria River Downs Station) and that the report by Bill Wongiari, that he was "a good man" was supported by the elders who were listening.