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Thomas
Reibey raced about 90 horses within Tasmania
and he won the 1882 Launceston Cup with Stockwell.
Thomas was President of Carrick, Rosedale and
Newnham Racing Clubs, as well as the inaugural
President of the Northern Agricultural Society.
Thomas was elected to the House of Assembly
seat of Westbury in 1874 and held the seat for
almost 30 years, including a year as Premier
of Tasmania. He retired from politics in 1903
and died at Entally on February 10, 1912.
Entally was reserved as a historic site on December
1, 1948 and the homestead and grounds have been
the focus of an ongoing restoration program.
The central part of the present day building
was the original Entally and apparently only
one storey high. In the late 1850’s, Thomas
Reibey built the stone chapel to replace the
small building, which was used for church services,
and altered the house, building a second storey.
He also built walls and outhouses using the
bricks and stones from the towers.
The lavish furnishings in the homestead include
a great deal of cedar furniture, a superb Georgian
chandelier, a mahogany mirror made during the
first half of the 18th Century, a four-poster
Regency bed and a range of portraits and paintings,
including works by John Glover.
The gardens of Entally House were established
more than 150 years ago and its original outlay
still survives today. In the grounds is also
Australia’s oldest cricket ground. |
