Stephen Simpson (1793–1869) was a doctor and civil servant in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. He was a founding

Member of the Queensland Legislative Council Following are lists of members of the Queensland Legislative Council: * 1860–1869 * 1870–1879 * 1880–1889 * 1890–1899 * 1900–1909 * 1910–1916 * 1917–1922 {{commons category ...

Early life

Stephen Simpson was born on 29 July 1793 in Wolston,

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

, England, the son of Thomas Simpson and his wife Anne (née Bank). From 1813 to 1817 he was a soldier with the

4th Light Dragoons Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * Fourth (album), ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * The Fourth (1972 film) ...

. After that he studied medicine in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. He became interested in homeopathy.

Queensland years

Simpson immigrated to Queensland, arriving first in Sydney on the ''Wilmot'' and then arriving in

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

in July 1840. Stephen Simpson was appointed Commissioner for

Crown Lands Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an Fee tail, entailed Estate (land), estate and passes with the monarchy, be ...

for the

District in 1842 when the area was first opened up for free settlement following the closure of the penal colony. He was a doctor of medicine, a Justice of the Peace, a police

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a ''magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

and a founding

following separation from

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. Simpson established a Border Police Station on Woogaroo Creek/

Brisbane River The Brisbane River is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the G ...

in early 1843. He travelled throughout the Moreton Bay area for his work, part of which involved local

Aboriginal people Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

. His border police were involved in the

Battle of One Tree Hill The Battle of One Tree Hill was one of a series of conflicts that took place between European settlers and a group of men of the Jagera and other Aboriginal groups in the Darling Downs area in the colony of Queensland in the 1840s, as part of ...

. Note: Dr Ray Kerkhove, owner of this site, is a reputable historian. Se
here
an
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In March to April 1843 he undertook an exploration of the Bunya Country in the Wide Bay district. Wolston House in the suburb of Wacol an early stone farmhouse, 1890

Wolston House in the suburb of Wacol an early stone farmhouse, 1890

After first living at Eagle Farm then at Petrie's Bight, Simpson established his first cottage at Woogaroo (now

Goodna Goodna is a suburb on the eastern edge of the City of Ipswich in Queensland, Australia. In the , Goodna had a population of 10,461 people. Geography Goodna is from the Brisbane central business district, being just outside the Brisbane City ...

), situated between

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

and

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

on what was to become the site of the Wolston Park Hospital. In 1851, when the opportunity to buy land in the area arose, he purchased to the east of his first house on land overlooking the

. There he constructed a two-room brick cottage over a sandstone basement. The house was shingled and had a detached kitchen. This cottage now forms the core of the heritage-listed

Wolston House Wolston House is a heritage-listed museum and former homestead at 223 Grindle Road, Wacol, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1852 to 1860s. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. It is no ...

. Simpson had designated his nephew, John Ommaney (for whom Mount Ommaney is named) as his heir. On 11 March 1856 the young man was riding from Wolston station and was thrown from his horse. The horse returned to Wolston and a search was undertaken. Ommaney was found on the ground insensible and, despite medical attention, died. His body was taken by steamer to be buried in the Church of England cemetery at Paddington. This may have affected Simpson's commitment to remaining in the colony and a few years later, he put the Wolston estate up for sale and returned to England. According to the auction notice which appeared in the ''

Moreton Bay Courier Moreton may refer to: People Given name * Moreton John Wheatley (1837–1916), British Army officer and Bailiff of the Royal Parks Surname * Alice Bertha Moreton (1901–1977), English sculptor, draughtsman and artist * Andrew Moreton, a ps ...

'' of 3 January 1860 the estate was by then well established with of fenced land, an extensive garden and orchards and 250 head of horses and 400 of cattle.

Later life

Although appointed on 23 May 1860 as a life member of the

Queensland Legislative Council The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May 1860. It was abolished by the Constitution Amendment Act 1921, which to ...

, Simpson attended only once before he travelled to England. He was granted a leave of absence from the Council until September 1864. However, Simpson never returned to Queensland and resigned from the Council on 3 February 1865. Simpson died on Thursday 11 March 1869 at 28 Bryanston Street,

Portman Square Portman Square is a garden square in Marylebone, central London, surrounded by elegant townhouses. It was specifically for private housing let on long leases having a ground rent by the Portman Estate, which owns the private communal garden ...

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, London.

References

Attribution

External links

* * Description of Simpson's exploration of the Wide Bay district in 1843 by

Frank Cumbrae-Stewart Francis William Sutton Cumbrae-Stewart, KC (1865–1938) was a barrister and university professor in Australia. Early life Frank Cumbrae-Stewart was born on 27 January 1865 at Riversleigh, Canterbury, New Zealand, son of Francis Edward Stewart ...