Egelabra Merino Stud can trace its history back to the birth of the wool industry in Australia in 1797 with the introduction of Spanish blood Merinos by Captain Henry Waterhouse.
Today, Egelabra runs 50,000 sheep and 3,000 cattle on 55,000 ha of prime grazing country, in the Macquarie Valley near Warren, central New South Wales.
| 1797 |  | “The Birth of the Wool Industry”. Captain Henry Waterhouse imported Spanish blood Merinos from the Cape of Good Hope. Distributing the flock widely, he supplied Captain Macarthur, Rev Samuel Marsden, Captain Kent and Captain Rowley and retained part of the flock for himself. |
| 1800’s | John Betts, the Rev Samuel Marsden’s son-in-law, ran Marsden’s flocks on his properties at Molong. | |
| 1839 | John Smith managed the properties for John Betts. Eventually he purchased his own land and with the original sheep from the Betts/Marsden flock, formed his own stud. He provided a sound-framed sheep with fine, medium wool – a Non-Peppin – which included the genes from six more Merinos he imported from England. He named his stud “Gamboola”. |
EGELABRA MERINOS are direct descendants of these early sheep
| 1879 | The Kater Brothers, Edward and Henry founded the Mumblebone Stud, Warren NSW with repeat purchases of Gamboola rams and ewes. | |
| 1906 | Henry Kater founded his own stud and named it “Egelabra”. | |
| 1924 | After Henry Kater’s death, his son Norman took over ownership of the Stud. | |
| 1965 | Sir Norman Kater chaired the company until 1965, leaving it under the control of his four sons; Henry, Dr (Mick) Norman, John and Sir Gregory. | |
| TODAY | The principal shareholders of HE Kater & Son Pastoral Co Pty are the families of Malcolm Kater, son of John Kater, and the families of Greg and David Kater, sons of Sir Gregory Kater. |