Bird, Thomas
Nationality - Australian colonial
Birth - Balmain, NSW, 1837
Marriage - Elizabeth Blow, Sydney, 1863
Death - Gladesville, NSW, 1877
Career - Malcom’s Amphitheatre, Sydney, 1851. Burton’s Royal Circus, 1851. Jones’ Olympic Circus, 1851-53. Rowe & Marshalls, 1858-59. Travelled California and Mexico, 1860s. Ashton’s Circus, 1862-65. Foley’s Californian Circus, 1864. Bird & Taylor’s Great American Circus, 1870-73. Bird’s Great American Circus, 1873-74
Copyright - Subject: Thomas Bird. Photographer: Unknown. Courtesy: State Library of NSW.
Thomas Bird
With Foley’s Californian Circus, 1864
Mummer Memoirs, Sydney Sportsman, 7 December 1910
… In this company also was the late T. Bird, the ‘gunner’ as we boys used to call him, as he had lost the sight of one eye…
Bird & Taylor’s Great American Circus
Mummer Memoirs, Sydney Sportsman, 22 March 1911
…. only a very small company but a good one. The jester was Morris Murray, and a good one too. The first item on the bill was posture riding by [Thomas] Bird, a splendid piece of horsemanship. Then he gave a splendid exhibition of on the slack rope, entitled Corde Volante, a very thrilling performance, and …. never done by any other performer in Australia … The last time I saw Mr Bird perform was at the Exhibition Building in Prince Alfred Park, on Boxing Night, I think in 1870 … His posture riding was first class, and his splendid imitation of the trussing of the different kinds of poultry, from the chicken to the goose, was the height of perfection. As a great lover of the circus, and a regular attendant, I have never seen any equestrian attempt at doing the same tricks on horseback …
Bird, Thomas
Australian colonial
Balmain, NSW, 1837
Elizabeth Blow, Sydney, 1863
Gladesville, NSW, 1877
Malcom’s Amphitheatre, Sydney, 1851. Burton’s Royal Circus, 1851. Jones’ Olympic Circus, 1851-53. Rowe & Marshalls, 1858-59. Travelled California and Mexico, 1860s. Ashton’s Circus, 1862-65. Foley’s Californian Circus, 1864. Bird & Taylor’s Great American Circus, 1870-73. Bird’s Great American Circus, 1873-74
Copyright - Subject: Thomas Bird. Photographer: Unknown. Courtesy: State Library of NSW.
Thomas Bird
With Foley’s Californian Circus, 1864
Mummer Memoirs, Sydney Sportsman, 7 December 1910
… In this company also was the late T. Bird, the ‘gunner’ as we boys used to call him, as he had lost the sight of one eye…
Bird & Taylor’s Great American Circus
Mummer Memoirs, Sydney Sportsman, 22 March 1911
…. only a very small company but a good one. The jester was Morris Murray, and a good one too. The first item on the bill was posture riding by [Thomas] Bird, a splendid piece of horsemanship. Then he gave a splendid exhibition of on the slack rope, entitled Corde Volante, a very thrilling performance, and …. never done by any other performer in Australia … The last time I saw Mr Bird perform was at the Exhibition Building in Prince Alfred Park, on Boxing Night, I think in 1870 … His posture riding was first class, and his splendid imitation of the trussing of the different kinds of poultry, from the chicken to the goose, was the height of perfection. As a great lover of the circus, and a regular attendant, I have never seen any equestrian attempt at doing the same tricks on horseback …
