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Henry Charles Sutherland
Wikipedia (on Matilda Bay):
Captain Mark Currie was the first colonial owner of the 32-acre (130,000 m2) estate surrounding the bay, at that time known as Currie's Bay. Pelican Point was then known as Point Currie. When Currie left, the estate was sold in 1832 to the Assistant Surveyor and Colonial Treasurer, Henry Charles Sutherland, for ₤100. Sutherland named the property Crawley Park after his mother's maiden name and the bay became known as Sutherland's Bay. In 1876 Crawley Park was sold to Sir George Shenton, and the bay was known generally as Crawley Bay.
Sutherland and his wife Ann arrived per Parmelia in 1829 with Stirling and Surveyor-General Roe.
Stephens:
A shipmate of Captain Currie’s aboard the “Parmelia,” Henry C. Sutherland, was a member of Captain James Stirling’s party of officers, holding the office of Assistant Surveyor, a position he vacated during October, 1830, for that of Clerk to the Colonial Treasurer. On the departure of Captain Currie he succeeded to the post of Secretary to the Executive and Legislative Councils. Whether, at the same time, he took possession of Currie’s farm on Matilda Bay (then Currie’s Bay) does not appear, but the Titles Office Schedule records that ownership of Swan River Location 87 was transferred to him on 1 August, 1837.
In common with most of his fellow officials of the young colony’s pioneer Civil Service Henry C. Sutherland carried on farming as a supplementary source of income and presumably farmed the land on Matilda Bay although resident in Perth. Be this as it may, a letter preserved in the State Archives shows that it was definitely used for that purpose during 1852, although by that time its owner had become one of the Chief Officials in the colony, holding the office of Colonial Treasurer and Collector of Inland Revenue. The letter, written from Perth on the 9 September, 1852, addressed to a son then absent gold-seeking in Victoria, mentioned a contemplated retirement from office and then continued: “You will find us at the farm on your return. I have done the house up inside, whitewashed and painted. I am now making bricks and have ordered timber but shall not commence building until next year.” After referring in the letter to the sheep on the farm—the site of the present Engineering School of the University, be it noted, the letter continued: “The ground is looking very fairly. ... I am raising potatoes for sale and have three cows in milk.”
Alas, poor Sutherland! He was not long spared to enjoy the evening of his days on the “Sweet Spot” at Crawley as he had planned, because death claimed him on the 12 February, 1855, after, as his obituary recorded, “For 25 years holding office under Government both as a member of the Legislative Council and in every other official capacity.”
Erickson:
SUTHERLAND, Henry Charles, b. 1804 (Eng), d. 12.2.1855 (Perth), arr. 1.6.1829 per Parmelia with wife, m. 1st 1829 Ann STAFFORD b. 1805 d. 12.9.1850, m. 2nd 15.5.1851 Frances Louisa BUSSELL b. 1807 d. 7.7.1881 (Busselton). Chd. Henry b. 1829 d. 1830, George Henry b. 1831 d. 1833, Robert Morgan b. 1833 d. 1897, Susannah Jane b. 1834 d. 1922, Mary Amelia b. 1836 d. 1846, Anna Maria b. 1838 d. 1894 (Melbourne). Surveyor: Collector of Revenue & Treasury Clerk 1834: Colonial Treasurer 1850: MLC: Owned land in Swan district & bt. "Craw1ey" (on the Swan) in 1833 (Titles transferred 1837), (site of WA University).
References and Links
Stephens, Robert 1950, 'A sweet spot in an old Colonial Garden: the historical background of the site of the University of Western Australia', Early Days, Vol. 4, Part 2: 27-47.
Wikipedia - as above.
This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 11 April, 2021 and hosted at freotopia.org/people/sutherlandhenry.html (it was last updated on 9 August, 2023), and has been edited since it was imported here (see page history). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.