Jack Riley was born in Castlebar, Ireland. He migrated to Australia in 1851 and went to live in
Omeo. He opened a tailoring business and then worked as a stockman at Monaro where he aquired a reputation for his horse handling. In 1884 he became manager of "Tom Groggin" where he ran 20,000 acres.
In 1890 Banjo Paterson, the poet, stayed a night at Jack Riley`s hut. Riley told the tale of one of his exploits about chasing a herd of wild horses, and from this Banjo Paterson wrote his poem "The Man From Snowy River". In 1914 Jack Riley died on the 15th of July, after suffering from heart problems. They buried him the next day at the Corryong
cemetery.