In 1906 a number of camels were shipped from Hergott Springs, South Australia to Christchurch, New Zealand for the International Exhibition. Accompanying the camels were two Indigenous Australian men – identified only as Sandy and Jack. The men and the camels traveled to New Zealand from Melbourne aboard the SS Wimmera and arrived in the port of Lyttelton on 19 October 1906. The older of the two men was Sandy whose age on arrival was stated as 39 years whereas Jack’s age was stated as 27.
Throughout the nearly six-month period of the Exhibition Sandy and Jack provided camel rides to the public within the Wonderland section of the [park] and cared for their charges.
Shortly following the closure of the Exhibition on 15 April 1907 the work of Jack and Sandy was over and within a week they were passengers aboard the Union Steamship Co’s Maheno which departed Lyttelton on 19 April 1907 bound for Melbourne, where they arrived on 27 April. On this occasion passenger records state the ages of the men as 42 and 22 respectively.
The camels cared for by the men remained in New Zealand. By the end of the Exhibition only…remained and these were [later] sold to the amusement business set up at Mirimar, Wellington. [Wellington Zoo]
SS Wimmera 