John Garrett Bussell (16 August 180317 September 1875) was an early settler in Western Australia. Born at Portsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire in England on 16 August 1803, Bussell was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is an English Public school (United Kingdom), public school (a long-established fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) with some provision for day school, day attendees, in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It wa ...

in England. After the death of his father, the family decided to emigrate to Western Australia, and Bussell and three of his brothers sailed for Western Australia on board late in 1829, with the rest of the Bussell family to follow once the brothers were established. On arriving at the

Swan River Colony The Swan River Colony, also known as the Swan River Settlement, or just ''Swan River'', was a British colony established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. This initial settlement place on the Swan River was soon named Perth, an ...

in March 1830, the Bussell brothers were advised that most of the good land near the Swan River had already been granted. James Stirling, the

Governor of Western Australia The governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of the monarch, King Charles III. As with the other governors of the Australian states, the governor of Western Australia performs constitutional, ceremonial and commun ...

, suggested they instead join with a number of other families in joining a new sub-colony at Augusta. The following month, Stirling sailed with a party of prospective settlers on board ''Emily Taylor''. After arriving at the mouth of the

Blackwood River The Blackwood River is a major river and catchment in the South West (Western Australia), South West of Western Australia. Course The river begins at the junction of Arthur River (Western Australia), Arthur River and Balgarup River near Que ...

, the party spent four days exploring the area. Stirling then confirmed his decision to establish a subcolony, the settlers' property was disembarked, and the town of Augusta declared at the site. For four years the brothers tried unsuccessfully to establish a farm, initially at Augusta and then further up the

. The brothers had immense difficulty clearing the land, and found the soil not particularly good for farming. John Bussell conducted numerous exploring expeditions in search of better land. He was particularly impressed with the quality of land at

Busselton Busselton is a city in the South West (Western Australia), South West region of the States and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia approximately south-west of Perth. Busselton has a long history as a popular holiday destin ...

(then known as the Vasse), and explored the area thoroughly. When the Bussell's home was destroyed by fire in 1834, the family re-established themselves at the Vasse, where they became successful and prosperous farmers. John Bussell would remain at the homestead ''Cattle Chosen'', now in Bovell, until his death. John Bussell returned to England in 1837, with the intention of marrying his sweetheart Sophie Hayward. His relationship with her soured while he was in England, and their engagement was called off. However shortly afterwards Bussell met a widow named Charlotte Cookworthy (sister-in-law of Joseph Cookworthy), to whom he became engaged three weeks later. After marrying her in August 1838, they returned to Western Australia in 1839. It is known that John Bussell in February 1841 was directly involved in the murder of seven Aboriginal people (after a dispute over pay resulted in the death of English farmer George Layman) and he then subsequently pursued a larger group of

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian people who live in the South West, Western Australia, south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton, Western Aus ...

north towards Bunbury where many more were killed around Lake Mininup. This is known as the

Wonnerup Massacre The Wonnerup massacre, also known as the Wonnerup "Minninup" massacre, was the killing of dozens of Wardandi Noongar people by European settlers in the vicinity of Wonnerup, Western Australia in February 1841. The massacre on Wardandi-Doonan lan ...

. These events were described in 1897 by historian Warren Bert Kimberly as "one of the most bloodthirsty deeds ever committed by Englishmen". Bussell became a Justice of the Peace in 1855, and a member of the Vasse Board of Education in 1861. During 1864 he taught at Bishop Hale's School (now Hale School) in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

. He later undertook

theological Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of an ...

studies, but was never ordained. From 4 November 1870 to 3 July 1872, Bussell served as a nominee 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 ...

. He died near Busselton on 17 September 1875. In 2016, a sculpture by Greg James, ''John Garrett Bussell'', was unveiled by the City of Busselton in the ArtGeo Cultural Complex as part of the Busselton Settlement Art Project.

References

Sources

* * *

References

Sources

Further reading