Francis Rawdon Chesney Hopkins

Francis Rawdon Chesney Hopkins (c. 1849 – 20 July 1916) was an Australian pastoralist and playwright, born in India.

History Hopkins was born on Colaba , Bombay, B9mbay Presidency, British India to Francis William Hopkins, RN, and Margaret Hopkins, née McNeil, and was educated in England. He was a cousin of General Sir George Chesney and Colonel Charles Chesney (authors of Battle of Dorking and Lee's Campaigns in Virginia and Maryland respectively), and nephew of Francis Rawdon Chesney.

Hopkins left England for Australia around 1865, and worked for his uncle John Wilson, brother of Sir Samuel Wilson, at "Woodlands" near Crowlands, Victoria in the Wimmera district of Victoria, 1866–1871. He managed Toorangabby station near Echuca 1871–1875 and others of Sir Samuel Wilson's properties. In 1877 he was managing nearby Pericoota station, with its magnificent two-storey homestead, for Robertson and Wagner. In 1885, in partnership with Alexander Wilson (another brother of Sir Samuel) he purchased Errowanbang station near Carcoar, New South Wales, where he bred hybrid sheep from Havilah Merino ewes and Romney Marsh rams. It is reckoned his run could have reached something like 40,000 sheep.

In 1889 Hopkins, with Wilson and Charles Hebden (1851–1915), purchased Coubil and Welbondongah stations in the Gwydir Shire in New South Wales, He wrote the plays All for Gold or Fifty Millions of Money, based on Eugène Sue's, Wandering Jew, and staged by Alfred Dampier, Phil K. Walsh and others, Reaping the Whirlwind: an Australian patriotic drama for Australian people and All for Love. He also wrote The Confessions of a Cynic, "the outcome of many years' observation of bush social life". He was survived by his wife and a son, Rawdon Chesney Hopkins, who continued management of Errowanbang station.

Published work The Confessions of a Cynic (1882) Gum Leaves Old and Gum Leaves New William Brooks and Co., Ltd., Sydney (1907) verses published anonymously Birds of Passage (1908) The Opium Runner Websdale, Shoosmith, Ltd., Sydney. (1909) short stories Non-fiction The Animal Parasites of Sheep Turner and Henderson (1892) Australian edition of a US standard work by Cooper Curtice. Plays, first performance Good for Evil, 1870 All for Gold, 1877 Only a Fool, 1880 L. S. D. or One of the Crowd 1883 Russia, As It Is 1884 Reaping the Whirlwind, 1909, published anonymously All for Love