A man ahead of his time
Summer in Australia and it's the right time for a cooling gin and tonic and in winter there is nothing more cosy than a blanket made of alpaca wool. Today's blog is about a man who is associated with both these things. CHARLES LEDGER Charles was born in March 1818 in Bucklesbury, east London, the son of George Ledger, a mercantile broker, and his wife Charlotte. In 1836 he set sail for Peru and became a clerk in the British merchant's office in Lima. Whilst there he rescued a drowning native Manuel Mamani who offered to become Ledger's servant for saving his life. In 1848 Ledger began to breed alpacas and by 1850 he became interested in supplying alpacas to the colony of NSW in the hope that the introduction of these animals would be as successful as the merino sheep industry. He visited Sydney in 1853 and conferred with Governor FitzRoy and others who confirmed that it was a viable concern, and it was later claimed by Ledger that he had been promised a grant of 10,000...