Opportunity Makes the Man: The Labours of John Alexander Gunn

By Peter Symes

The only biography ever written about one of Australia’s greatest sons

John Gunn was an Australian pastoralist who, in 1893, commenced using his own double-dose anthrax vaccine. His vaccine outperformed the vaccine of Louis Pasteur, that had been introduced to Australia a few years before. Intriguingly, Mr Gunn developed his vaccine without any scientific training, but he learnt the science and ultimately inoculated sheep far and wide. In 1895 he partnered with John M’Garvie Smith and in 1897 they commenced using a single-dose anthrax vaccine—a world first.

Mr Gunn initially worked for Goldsbrough Mort at South Yalgogrin (near modern-day Ardlethan). Originally from Victoria, he became a jackaroo, then overseer, and finally manager of South Yalgogrin at the age of 26. Developing close ties with the area, he purchased rural properties around Ganmain before he moved in 1897 to manage Borambola, a large station also owned by Goldsbrough Mort to the east of Wagga Wagga. From here he continued his vaccination business, employing men to inoculate sheep and cattle.

Other achievements of Mr Gunn are documented in this 288-page biography by author Peter Symes. Mr Gunn’s record of promoting vaccination in the press, struggling against the anti-vaxxers of the day, is included in this volume, as is his invention of a pollard distributor to poison rabbits. His work for the Pastures and Stock Protection Boards and later the Pastures Protection Boards is recounted, as is his rise to be Chairman of the Pastures Protection Boards’ Council of Advice. In this role he supervised the experiments by Dr. Jean Danysz to eliminate rabbits that plagued New South Wales and Victoria. Mr. Gunn was ultimately elevated to the New South Wales Legislative Council, where he served until his early death in 1910 at the age of 50 years.