The Man Who Gave Away a Fortune

This is the story of an Irish youth who arrived in Australia with nothing and died giving away a to benefit orphans, schools, universities, hospitals and churches. Samuel McCaughey was a genius. In the world of 19th century agriculture he fathered large scale irrigation works, was an innovator in the wool industry, designed and built earth moving equipment and was on the cutting edge of new technology. His vast sheep stations were among the largest in the world and featured beautifully built homesteads and out buildings - again of his own design.     WATCH  as Paul  tells his story.

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This is the story of an Irish youth who arrived in Australia with nothing and died giving away a to benefit orphans, schools, universities, hospitals and churches. Samuel McCaughey was a genius. In the world of 19th century agriculture he fathered large scale irrigation works, was an innovator in the wool industry, designed and built earth moving equipment and was on the cutting edge of new technology. His vast sheep stations were among the largest in the world and featured beautifully built homesteads and out buildings - again of his own design.  He  loved learning and had an encyclopaedic knowledge of literature and a deep interest in theology. His sincere Christian faith found practical expression in a generous apprenticeship scheme for boys who had lost their fathers in World War One – up to 20,000 of them. He was known as a kind and unpretentious boss who ran a welcoming home in the Riverena near Leeton. Above all, he loved Australia and carefully invested his wealth in a way that would help the country grow spiritually, morally and economically. ​