Elsinora Station NSW

This is my Grandfather or 'Pop" as I preferred to call him. Frank Cotter. His brother Jim and he were arguably the best riders in the far west region. They are small men, almost jockey sized. As Bryce Killen said "There is nothing as good for the inside of a man as the outside of a horse." This is the horse that won many a race.

Jim went on to win many a horse race at Wanarring, and in QLD. Both were hard men but with a sense of humor. As Prue (my cousin), said- "My mother remembered Jim. He came in after winning a race all dressed to the 9's. There was a lot of back slapping and laughter and joke telling. Jim was a ladies man, very dapper. Jim walked up to the table where my mother sat at and started to chat her up. This caused her no end of embarrassment. When this failed, He whipped the table cloth off the table and let all the plates and, cutlery and glasses in place, much to the delight of the spectators."


In those days, 1880-1920's The race horse was owned by the rider, it was their daily work horse. Both boys had the best in the district. Frank was a major influence on me and his storis and tales lie with me today

This photo was taken in front of the same home as the one with the 4 men. Pop is on the far right. We think this is Elsinora Station part of Thurloo Downs. . All that remains of this is a few bricks and a memorial to the Killen family.

I recall my Pop in detail. He was a significant influence on me. I hope I can write a book about him