Manton Lewis Cyril Whiteman (9 July 1903 – 1 March 1994) was an Australian businessman and collector. He owned

Whitemans Brick Whitemans Brick was a brick manufacturing company in Middle Swan in Western Australia. It was a company owned by Lou Whiteman, after whom Whiteman Park is named. The land on which the operations were located were expanded in the 1920s. It was ...

and is the namesake of

Whiteman Park Whiteman Park is a bushland area located north of Perth, Western Australia. The park is in the suburb of Whiteman, in the Swan Valley in the upper reaches of the Swan River. It encompasses the source of Bennett Brook - an important place o ...

Early life and brickworks career

Whiteman was born on 9 July 1903 in

Jane Brook, Western Australia Jane Brook is the name of a watercourse and the valley that passes through the Darling Scarp, and which was utilised for the Eastern Railway and subsequently a central part of the John Forrest National Park. Suburb It is also the name of the ...

, north-east of

Perth Perth is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth most populous city in Aust ...

. He was the third child of Elizabeth (née Barndon) and Lewis Whiteman. His father was born in England and worked as a brickmaker whereas his mother was born in Western Australia. Whiteman attended school in

Middle Swan Middle or The Middle may refer to: * Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits. Places * Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man * Middle Bay (disambiguation) * Middle Brook (disambiguation) * Middle Creek ( ...

until he was fourteen, when he began working at his father's business, Middle Swan Brickworks (later known as Whitemans Brickworks or Whitemans Brick). In 1941, Whiteman's father died and he took over the business. In 1966, the business was sold to

Alan Bond Alan Bond (22 April 1938 – 5 June 2015) was an English-born Australian businessman noted for his high-profile and often corrupt business dealings. These included his central role in the WA Inc scandals of the 1980s, and what was at the time ...

’s Progress Development Organisation, and it was later acquired by

Midland Brick Midland Brick supplies building and construction materials including bricks, concrete blocks, pavers, retaining walls, roof tiles and stone cladding. Products are supplied to customers in Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Midland Brick headqua ...

Properties

Before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Whiteman had purchased a farm in an area of the Swan Valley which later became

. He later purchased some adjacent land to use for cattle and horses. In 1954, he purchased three adjacent properties in

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

where he could live and store his collection of "antiques and curios". In the 1960s, he developed his Swan Valley property by damming the Bennett Brook and deepening a natural pool along the brook, naming it "Mussel Pool" due to the natural occurrence of

freshwater mussel Freshwater bivalves are one kind of freshwater mollusc, along with freshwater snails. They are bivalves that live in fresh water as opposed to salt water, which is the main habitat type for bivalves. The majority of species of bivalve molluscs ...

s. The area became a public picnic ground and a place to display his collection of agricultural machinery, including horse-drawn machinery and tractors. The

Government of Western Australia The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the States and territories of Australia, Australian state democratic administrative authority of Western Australia. It is also common ...

purchased the Mussel Pool property in 1977 and the adjacent properties later.

was officially opened and named in 1986.

Later life

Whiteman died in

Woodlands Woodlands may back refer to: * Woodland, a low-density forest Geography Australia * Woodlands, New South Wales * Woodlands, Ashgrove, Queensland, a heritage-listed house associated with John Henry Pepper * Woodlands, Marburg, Queensland, a he ...

on 1 March 1994. He was cremated. The vehicles in his collection were bequeathed to the people of Western Australia, where they are on display at Whiteman Park. The rest of his collection was auctioned, with the money raised going to

Princess Margaret Hospital for Children Princess Margaret Hospital for Children (PMH) is a former children's hospital and centre for paediatric research and care located in Perth, Western Australia. It was the state's only specialist children's hospital until it closed in 2018, coinc ...

References

External links

World War II service file
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whiteman, Lew People from Perth, Western Australia 1903 births 1994 deaths