Jack Riley was a mountain cattleman in the late 1800's.
Tough & wiry, self reliant & somewhat reclusive.
He emigrated from Ireland as a young lad & worked initially as a tailor near Omeo before finding his true passion as a stockman for the Pierce family at Greg Greg.
He lived in isolation in a hut up in mountain country, often guiding visitors to the top of
Mt Kosciusko.
A.B 'Banjo' Paterson was one such visitor when Walter Mitchell accompanied him on the trip.
It's believed Jack provided the inspiration for Banjo to write the famous
Man from Snowy river poem a few months later.
Banjo also published another poem for Federation called "Johnny Riley's Cow", further testament to the material Banjo found for his verses during his visit to the high country & Jack Riley.
Jack Riley is buried at the Corryong cemetery & the Man from Snowy River Bush Festival honours the mountain stockman's spirit each year in its search for the modern day equivalent of
JACK RILEY
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