A Rare Piece of Australian Polo History: The Ashton film reels
The Auction Barn is delighted to bring you another insight into history through the lens of unusual objects. This week, it’s the story of the rise of the Ashton brothers as polo players extraordinaire, a fearsome foursome whose match is recorded on a film reel now for sale at the Auction Barn.
Comprising two reels of film and a VHS tape, this bundle features footage from the highly important 1937 Hurlingham match that resulted in a stunning win for the Goulburn team over the Jaguars, whose team was composed of talented, well established international players. The win established Australia as no mere upstarts, and was pivotal in establishing a legacy of polo in Australian culture. Additionally, one reel contains footage from an unknown sporting polo match, possibly American, and a VHS tape of converted reel footage with snippets of various matches and awards.
Born to politician and businessman James Ashton (b.1864 – d.1939) - who represented Goulburn in the Legislative Assembly from 1898 until 1907 - the brothers comprised James, Philip, Robert and Geoffrey. In the interest of raising fine, hard working young men by their father, who had been born to modest means, the four were given the job of restoring Markdale: a 2,250 hectare farm located an hour from Goulburn in Binda, NSW.
Not easy work, the property was in need of constant maintenance, which made their choice of leisure ever more important and hard earned. The brothers would find their time for play in the form of polo, which had been introduced to Goulburn by a retired British Artillery Officer. A weekend trip on the horses - bred expressly for purpose at Markdale - proved a valuable outlet for all, and soon their prowess in polo became the focus of national, then international attention with tours to the US and the UK in the 1930s.
Scorned by the British as young bachelor upstarts, the brothers rallied, showing the British a thing or two, and so successfully that King Alfonso XIII of Spain presented a trophy to their father for their ‘brilliant display’ and ‘sporting enterprise’. This would continue, with the Ashton retinue embraced by the American press, where they were called ‘the greatest polo family in the world’ by the New York Times in 1930.
Having brought with them twenty-five horses, whose polo ability was equal and enhanced by their dual life as working horses, deftly moving between herds of sheep back in Markdale, were also a valuable asset as their successes and accolades continued to accumulate. Their father, who had accompanied them on their cross-ocean odyssey, organised the sale of their ponies on Long Island in New York for $77,000 USD - a significant sum for the Great Depression!
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A later overseas venture culminated in the aforementioned historic win, with three of the brothers and Robert ‘Bob’ Skene winning the Hurlingham Champion Cup in 1937, the only Australian team to do so in the history of the cup; with Skene going on to become a highly regarded name in his own right, with Skene and the brothers all inductees of the Australian Polo Hall of Fame.
Their story still resonates – in 2016, a documentary reflecting on their achievement achieved great acclaim with polo players and equestrians alike, and an insight into the culture and how feted the Ashtons were in their prime. These rare pieces of footage are an incredible, tangible piece of Australian film and sporting history, connecting us to a long and rich history of Australian mastery of sport abroad, and bringing it down to earth and home to Goulburn. Do not miss this opportunity to acquire a once-in-a-generation piece in its original format!
The Auction Barn would like to thank the vendor for their personal assistance and resources in helping research this article.
Millamong Polo (February 2013) ‘Our Heritage’, <http://millamolongpolo.com.au/about/our-heritage/>
Chancellor, Jonathan (2020, December 8), ‘Historic NSW country farm Markdale sold by Ashton family’, Urban.com.au. <https://www.urban.com.au/news/historic-nsw-country-farm-markdale-sold-by-ashton-family>
Van Ness, Vernon (1930, July 29) ‘NOTED POLO FAMILY HERE FOR MATCHES’, New York Times. <https://nyti.ms/43UpDYI>
Bryant, Sally (2017, May 17) ‘Ashton family recall their Markdale memories of a fine wool farm and illustrious polo history’, ABC News. <https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2017-05-17/ashtons-sell-their-loved-markdale/8529814>
Australian Dictionary of Biography (n.d.) ‘James Ashton (1864-1939)’, <https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ashton-james-5069>
Australian Dictionary of Biography (n.d.) ‘James Hay (Jim) Ashton (1899-1973)’, <https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ashton-james-hay-jim-9394>
Sport Australia Hall of Fame (n.d.) ‘Robert Skene (Polo)’, <https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/robert-skene/>
New South Wales Polo Association (2013), ‘Hall of Fame Inductees’, <https://www.nswpolo.com.au/Assets/News/689/2013-Hall-of-Fame-Inductees.pdf>
‘ASHTON POLO TEAM: King of Spain’s Letter’ (1930, July 7), The Daily News, Perth: WA, <https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/83572828?searchTerm=ashton%20king%20of%20spain>
‘The Ashton Brothers - A remarkable story’ (Feb 15, 2017) via. Hurlingham Polo (Youtube), <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT7XUxf98PA&ab_channel=HurlinghamPolo>
Laffaye, Horace A. (2014) ‘Polo in Britain: A History’, published by McFarland Press, London; England