Claudius Buchanan Whish (5 January 1827 – 28 February 1890) was a prominent sugar-planter, civil servant and politician in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. He was a Member of the

Queensland Legislative Council Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, ...

Early life

Whish was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, the son of General Sir William Whish, Royal Artillery, and his wife Mary, née Hardwicke.

Military service

In 1851, Whish served in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

under the 14th

Light Dragoons The Light Dragoons (LD) is a cavalry regiment in the British Army. The regiment has a light cavalry role and specialises in mounted and dismounted reconnaissance. The Light Dragoons recruit mainly in Northern England, from County Durham, Northu ...

as an interpreter and bazaar master, officer of public works and assistant quartermaster general of cavalry on General Jacob's staff during the Persian campaign of 1856. Following a promotion to captain in 1857, Whish traveled to the Australian colonies of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

and

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

to buy cavalry remounts for the Indian army. He married Anne Whish, née Ker, in

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

about 1858.

Sugar cane plantation owner

Whish migrated to Queensland on the ''Young Australia'' and began the Oaklands sugar plantation in

Caboolture Caboolture () is a town and suburb in the City of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. It is located on the northern side of the Caboolture River. In the , the suburb of Caboolture had a population of 29,534 people. Geography Caboolture is ...

on 15 August 1862. His crop did well and he became chairman of the local planters' association and hired

Pacific islanders Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subreg ...

to work on the crop. Although this move lost him the favour of the people, after 1865 it helped to preserve his £5000 investment. Anne Whish

Politics

Whish tried and failed to win the seat of East Moreton in the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

elections in 1867, and a committee on Pacific island labour was informed that whippings had taken place on Whish's estate. This evidence gained little credence, and as a justice for peace and a deeply religious man, Whish was appointed to the

in June 1870. Although he is known as the first successful sugar-producer in Queensland, Whish's estate lost its worth and he resigned from the Legislative Council in March 1872, sold his machinery and became a surveyor of roads.

Later life

By September 1873, Whish was bankrupt with a debt of £5598, although he was promoted to inspector of road surveys for the southern division in 1875 and for the colony in 1880. He supervised the first road which was made from the Albert River to the

Nerang Nerang is a town and suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the , the suburb of Nerang had a population of 17,048 people. Geography The Nerang River flows through the locality from south to east, passing through the town ...

district. "By 1878, on a permanent public service salary, Whish could at last provide the secure, comfortable home he and Annie wanted for their children: Maud, Evelyn ('Eva'), Ethel, Edith, Arthur and Irwin. A large, single-storey wooden building, with a shingle roof and wide verandahs, it sat on the north-eastern slope of Eildon Hill in what is now the suburb of

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places *Detroit–Windsor, Michigan-Ontario, USA-Canada, North America; a cross-border metropolitan region Australia New South Wales *Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area Queen ...

. Whish named it Arwin Tel, a combination of the names of the two youngest children and the Arabic word for a hill." In 1889 Whish took his leave by setting out for England. He was aboard the fated ''

RMS Quetta RMS ''Quetta'' was an iron-hulled steamship that was built in Scotland in 1881 and wrecked with great loss of life in the Torres Strait in 1890. She was operated by British India Associated Steamers (BIAS), which was controlled by the British I ...

'' on the day it sank in the

Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes ( Kalaw Lagaw Ya#Phonology 2, �zen̪ad̪ kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, ...

. His wife Anne perished with him; they were survived by their four daughters and two sons. His daughter Anne Maud Whish married

Reginald Heber Roe Reginald Heber Roe (3 August 1850 – 21 September 1926) was a headmaster of Brisbane Grammar School, Queensland, Australia and first vice-chancellor of the University of Queensland. Early life Roe was born at Blandford, Dorset, England, the so ...

, who is known for being a headmaster of

Brisbane Grammar School Brisbane Grammar School (BGS) is an Independent school, independent, fee charging, non-denominational, day school, day and boarding school for boys, located in Spring Hill, Queensland, Spring Hill, an inner suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Austra ...

and a vice chancellor of the

University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...

Memorial

The Captain Whish Bridge over the

Caboolture River The Caboolture River is a small river in South East Queensland, Australia. Location and features Formed by runoff from the D'Aguilar Range, the Caboolture River rises below near and flows generally east, joined by two minor tributaries and f ...

on the

Bruce Highway The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast on its way to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is part of the Australian Natio ...

and nearby Whish Avenue are named for him. Whish Street and Arwin Terrace,

, Brisbane are adjacent to where Arwin Tel was situated on ten acres at the top of Thorne Street. A tablet inside St Andrew's Anglican Church, Lutwyche is a memorial for Captain Claude Whish (lay reader) and Mrs Whish who were early benefactors. As a memorial to the lives lost on the ''Quetta'', the Quetta Memorial Precinct was established on Thursday Island, comprising a church (later a cathedral), a rectory and a church hall. Queensland State Library holds a collection of diaries of Claudius Buchanan Whish dated from 1855 to 1889. The 1862 diary contains an account of the preparation for the Whishes' voyage to Australia – particularly the fitting up of their cabins. It also has an account of being falsely imprisoned and a visit to Captain Louis Hope at his Cleveland estate (now Ormiston House). This particular diary, representing Claudius Buchanan Whish Correspondence with Louis Hope (1862 – 1865), was ranked #33 in the 'Top 150: Documenting Queensland' exhibition when it toured to venues around Queensland from February 2009 to April 2010. The exhibition was part of

Queensland State Archives The Queensland State Archives is the lead agency for public recordkeeping in Queensland, Australia. It is the custodian of the largest and most significant documentary heritage collection about Queensland. Established in 1959, Queensland Stat ...

' events and exhibition program which contributed to the state's Q150 celebrations, marking the 150th anniversary of the

separation of Queensland The Separation of Queensland was an event in 1859 in which the land that forms the present-day state of Queensland in Australia was excised from the Colony of New South Wales and proclaimed as a separate crown colony. History European settlemen ...

from New South Wales.

References

External links

*
ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION.
from Queensland Government Gazette, 1890. *
FORTIFIED SELECTIONS under 'Crown Lands Alienation Act of 1868'
from Queensland Government Gazette, 1870.
Claudius Buchanan Whish Diaries 1855-1906

State Library of Queensland State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...

*
In the Insolvent Estate of Claudius Buchanan Whish, of Brisbane, gentleman.
from Queensland Gazette, 1873.
The peacock feather in the diary of Claudius Whish
John Oxley Library blog {{DEFAULTSORT:Whish, Claudius Buchanan Members of the Queensland Legislative Council Colony of Queensland people 1827 births Deaths due to shipwreck at sea 1890 deaths 19th-century Australian politicians 19th-century Australian public servants Farmers from Queensland 19th-century Australian farmers