Thomas Hardy (winemaker) facts for kids
Thomas Hardy (born January 14, 1830 – died January 10, 1912) was a very important winemaker in McLaren Vale, South Australia. Many people called him the "Father of the South Australian Wine Industry" because he helped it grow so much.
Contents
Early Life and Starting Out
Thomas Hardy was born in a place called Gittisham in Devon, England. He traveled to South Australia on a ship called the British Empire in 1850. On the ship, he even helped teach the boys!
When he arrived, Thomas quickly found a job at Reynella Farm, working for John Reynell. There, he learned a lot about making wine from the German workers. After two years, he decided to try his luck at the goldfields in Victoria. He did well there, working with a butcher and moving cattle.
In 1853, Thomas bought a piece of land that was about 46 acres (18.6 hectares) near the River Torrens. He named his new property "Bankside." Today, this area is known as Underdale.
Growing the Business
In 1854, Thomas Hardy started planting fruit trees, especially oranges. He also planted about 0.75 acres (0.3 hectares) of Shiraz grapevines. He added more vines in 1856 and then planted Muscatel grapes in 1861.
He made his very first wine in 1857. Just two years later, in 1859, he sent two large barrels of his wine to England. This was one of the first times wine from South Australia was sent overseas! By 1863, his vineyards had grown to 35 acres (14 hectares), with many types of grapes like Grenache, Mataro, Muscat, Roussillon, Shiraz, and Zante. He also bought grapes from other growers nearby. By 1879, he was making a huge amount of wine – about 27,000 gallons (100,000 litres)!
Thomas also bought another property called "Brookside" in Marion, South Australia in 1862. He planted grapes there too.
New Ventures and Expansion
Thomas Hardy was not just a winemaker. In 1874, he helped start a company that made glass bottles in Brompton. This company later became the South Australian Glass Works Co. Ltd.
In 1877, he bought the Tintara winery in McLaren Vale. This winery was used to make wine until 1927. He also bought an old flour mill and a hotel nearby to expand his business in McLaren Vale. Thomas Hardy even opened Adelaide's very first wine bar!
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In 1881, he built a large four-story building in Currie Street. This building was his main office and where they bottled wine. In 1887, he officially started the company "Thomas Hardy and Sons Ltd." with his three sons, James, Thomas, and Robert, and also Joseph Rowe Osborn.
Thomas Hardy also helped plant different types of grapevines at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. He was also involved in creating the Phylloxera Act of 1879, which helped protect vineyards from a serious plant disease called Phylloxera.
The Bankside winery, where he started, was sadly destroyed by a fire in 1904 and was not rebuilt.
Company Leadership and Growth
Around 1910, Thomas Hardy's son, Robert, took over running the company. Later, in 1928, Robert's nephew, Thomas Mayfield Hardy (Thomas's grandson), became the leader.
In 1976, the company bought Emu Wines, which helped them sell more wine to other countries. Hardy's had many vineyards, including large ones in McLaren Vale.
Community Involvement
Thomas Hardy was very active in his community. He was a member of many important groups, including:
- The Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society (he was even president in 1904!)
- The Chamber of Manufactures
- The Agricultural Bureau
- The West Torrens School Board of Advice
- The Winegrowers Association
- The West Torrens Council
Family Life
Thomas Hardy married Joanna Holbrook in 1854. After she passed away, he married his cousin, Eliza Hardy, in 1869.
His children included:
- Anna Elizabeth (born 1854), who was a nurse and helped her father.
- James Joseph (born 1855).
- Caroline Adelaide (born 1857).
- Thomas Nathaniel (born around 1862). His son, Tom Mayfield Hardy, later became the chairman and managing director of the company. Sadly, Tom Mayfield Hardy died in a plane crash in 1938.
- Robert Burrough (died 1927), who was managing director of the company from 1912 to 1924. His son, Kenneth Thomas Hardy, also became managing director.
- Eliza J. Hardy (died 1911).
Achievements
At the Adelaide Exhibition in 1881, Thomas Hardy won a special award. It was a trophy worth 100 guineas, given for the "exhibit of greatest national importance to the State." This showed how much his work meant to South Australia.
Images for kids
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Former Thomas Hardy & Sons Ltd Wine Cellars, now part of Temple Christian College.
