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Charlotte was the daughter of Weeta Wyndham and Arthur Mackenzie. She lived for much of her childhood at Dalwood on her grandfather's estate. In 1872 she married Albert Wright and moved to Nulalbin on the Dawson River in Queensland, a remote place with little communication with the outside world. Charlotte and her children suffered severely from malaria and 'sandy blight' and eventually her health was so impaired the family moved to Kangaroo Hills in New England in 1885. Here they built a house and named it Wongwibinda. Five years later, Charlotte's husband died suddenly on a visit to Queensland and Charlotte was forced to carry on the family pastoral business without him. This she did, managing the business throughout the depression of the 1890s against the expectations of many and running the property at Nulalbin with her brother-in-law Harold. By 1898 the depression was ending and stock and wool again rose in price. Wongwibinda became a valuable property. In 1900 Charlotte bought nearby Wallamumbi and in 1901 Jeogla. In 1911 she travelled to England and, horrified by the poverty of the English slums, arranged the emigration of several small girls to Wongwibinda, where she organised their board and education. [Brief Biography compiled by Robin Hammond, January/February 2004]
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