Hello Lyn Thank you for the suggestion. Your scenario was about right for the first work of my convict after he left Mudie, but unfortunately it doesn't help regarding the missing period before he worked for Mudie (or on a nearby property). His next master was George Wyndham. He sent my convict to Mahngarinda, which Wyndham had acquired only a few years earlier. Wyndham had sent a supervisor there to start a "stock station". Quite likely my convict looked after either sheep or cattle, so there is a parallel with your ancestor on the Snowy Mountains. My problem remains one of discovering records. There is no known record even for how and when Wyndham acquired my convict, although it was certainly from another landholder in the Hunter Valley. I have now been given a helpful lead which might discover some information about a Wilkinson family at Georges River. Fingers crossed ! Cheers Ken From: "Stan Elgood" <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [PJ] James Mudie Hi Ken, Can I suggest another scenario. One of my ancestors was sent to mind cattle on a property in what is now known as the Snowy Mountains. Squatters were claiming land and sending an overseer with cattle to squat on it. Queensland at that time was a new frontier also. If this was the case could he still have been under the same master. Lyn