I came across a small pile of Midlands Agricultural Society* exhibition certificates that been awarded to Mrs Buist in the 1880s, for produce and working bullocks. Last month, I found some more, so I thought I’d see if I could find some more about her with a quick poke around.

Seems she’d been winning at the show for a while. In 1874, the Examiner said, “The exhibits of fat cattle were in splendid condition and were much admired by numerous interested visitors. A pen of three fat Hereford bullocks exhibited by Mrs Buist gained the prize in Class” and the Mercury said, “For the best pen of fat bullocks those of Mrs. Buist showed tho best breeding, and were deservedly awarded a first prize”.

She was a daughter of George Taylor, of Valleyfield, a prominent colonial family. He arrived with some of his children in 1823, full page write-up about the family on the centenary of arrival. Two years later, she married Arthur Buist, who died in 1837 and it seems she continued to run their property (Pitcuncarty) until her own death in 1895

DEATH OF AN OLD COLONIST.-On Thursday last there passed away to her rest another of the early pioneers of the colony, Mrs Christian Buist, of Pituncarty, at the ripe age of 97. The end was not altogether unexpected by her relatives and a friends, as she had been very feeble for some time and during the preceding week was confined to her bed. She passed quietly away without any apparent suffering. Notwithstanding her great age she retained in a surprising degree nearly to the last her mental vigour and her warm interest in the concerns of her friends and the movements of her surroundings and time. Mrs Buist was a colonist of fully 72 years standing, having left Scotland with her father, the late George Taylor, in 1822, arriving in Tasmania in January 1813. when she settled at Pituncarty, on the Macquarie river, where she spent the remainder of her long and useful life. Continued.

*Campbell Town show