Edward Robinson (c. August 1839 – 31 January 1913) was a Member of the

Western Australian Legislative Council The Western Australian Legislative Council is the upper house of the Parliament of Western Australia, a state of Australia. It is regarded as a house of review for legislation passed by the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, Legislative A ...

from 1894 to 1896. Born in

Brampton Brampton is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#L ...

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

, England, Robinson was the son of

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet) or veterinary surgeon is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, veterinarians also play a role in animal r ...

William Robinson, and Margaret Maria née Ford, from Sunninghill, Berkshire, England. His father died on the ship 'Success' leaving his mother and five small children. At the age of four he emigrated to

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

with his family, arriving on board the ''Success'' in March 1843. He received no formal schooling, and worked as a

shepherd A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations; it exists in many parts of the globe, and it is an important part of Pastoralism, pastoralist animal husbandry. ...

in the Brookton area from a young age. In 1859 he was working as a labourer for

John Seabrook John M. Seabrook Jr. (born January 17, 1959) is an American writer and journalist. He has worked for ''The New Yorker'' weekly magazine for many years, and has four published books. Biography Seabrook graduated from St. Andrew's School (DE) ...

, and in 1863 he accompanied

Henry Maxwell Lefroy Henry Maxwell Lefroy (August 1818 – 18 July 1879) was a prominent explorer of the Mid West and Goldfields-Esperance regions of Western Australia. He was the son of Rev. John Henry George Lefroy, the rector of Compton and Ashe, who died when ...

on an exploring expedition to the east of

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

. The following year he look up land at

Pingelly Pingelly is a town and shire located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, from Perth via the Brookton Highway and Great Southern Highway. The town is also located on the Great Southern railway line. The surrounding areas produce w ...

, where he established a wheat and sheep farm in partnership with his stepbrother. He also took up 2000 acres (8 km²) at Brookton, establishing the ''Sunning Hill'' farm. In 1874 he made a second exploring expedition, this time with William Lukin in search of pastoral land. He took up ''Croydon Station'' near Roebourne in 1875, and later also ''Langwell'' station. On 15 March 1877 he married a widow named Beverley Sophia Pennel Baddock (née Wells); they would have no children. In 1885 he sold his entire estate and bought a farm near

Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. Bellevue or Belle Vue may refer to: Places Australia * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales Canada * Bellevue, Alberta * Bellevue, Newfoundlan ...

. On 16 July 1894, Edward Robinson was elected to a North Province seat in the Western Australian Legislative Council. He held the seat until the election of 27 July 1896, when he was defeated by Donald McDonald MacKay. He was a member of the

Greenmount Road Board The Shire of Mundaring is a local government area in eastern metropolitan Perth, the capital of Western Australia. The Shire covers an area of and had a population of approximately 38,000 as at the 2016 Census. History The Greenmount Road ...

from 1904 until his death. He died at

(near Midland) on 31 January 1913, and was buried in Middle Swan Cemetery.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Edward 1839 births 1913 deaths Explorers of Western Australia Western Australian local councillors British emigrants to Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council