Community
2 July, 2025
Social media uncovers Cobden history
A SOCIAL media post by the Cobden and District Historical Society has brought together community members linking their shared history from 100 years ago.
The post was about old cow tags used to identify stock in the 1920s, prompting a Cobden local to comment reflecting on his family history.
Cobden and District Historical Society researcher Donna Edge said this all came about while researching the then named Cobden Times newspapers from 100 years ago.
“A couple weeks ago we were researching old Cobden Times from 100 years ago to put a few tidbits in our newsletter that we send out to members and other societies,” she said.
“I was just going through this one from June 100 years ago and there was this notice that the pound keeper had put in that they’d impounded these two animals and they had these two different tag numbers.
“We happened to have a look and we actually found a tag – it may not be the same animal because they’re split into north, east, south and west and the tag we’ve got is from Cobden west – but it’s the same number.”
The numbers on the tags were 1961 and 1312 – Cobden and District Historical Society found a Cobden cow tag with the number 1312 on it, linking the past and present together.
According to old Cobden Times newspapers, back when this area was still known as the Heytesbury Shire in the 1920s, metal cow tags were introduced to be worn by cattle to assist with identification.
Stock were often left to wander the streets to feed, but if farmers did not collect them, they were impounded, and a notice was put in the paper by the pound keeper for their collection.
When Cobden resident Darren Clarke saw the social media post, it prompted him to comment about his grandfather, who was the pound keeper in Cobden in 1925.
If the timelines align correctly, this would make Mr Clarke’s grandfather the same pound keeper who put the notice in the paper 100 years ago.
Mr Clarke also commented a picture of his own tag collection, found scattered on his property, which he has since polished and restored for display.
“I live in the family home – I’ve never left home – the house has been in our family since about 1925,” he said.
“I can remember stories – there used to be stables down by the big oak tree at the back of our place, that’s where grandpa used to keep the horse.
“That’s where these cow tags were found, down there.”
Mr Clarke said the collection was meaningful to his family as it was something which could be passed down for generations.
“It’s always been a story in the family. I’m the youngest of my family,” he said.
“I never knew my grandparents. There’s a lot of history about it.
“They originally came from Beechworth, during the gold rush, and they’ve come to Timboon, they lived in Timboon for quite a while.
“Then they moved up here in 1925 and my grandfather started working at the sale yards as a stockman originally, then with the council later on.
“There’s big family links right through – we all go way back.”
Ms Edge said they were a “bit excited” at the society over the discovery.
“We’ve had a couple of other people comment that they’ve got tags,” she said.
“Another one shared a photo that they’ve got that we don’t even have.
“A different type of tag – same thing but a different shaped tag.”
Mr Clarke and Ms Edge discussed the story of the tags together at length, linking history back by decades.
Read More: Cobden