John Garrett Bussell (16 August 1803 – 17 September 1875) was an early settler in Western Australia. John Garrett Bussell was born at

Portsea, Portsmouth Portsea Island is a flat and low-lying natural island in area, just off the southern coast of Hampshire in England. Portsea Island contains the majority of the city of Portsmouth. Portsea Island has the third-largest population of all th ...

, Hampshire in England on 16 August 1803. He was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of ...

in England, but after the death of his father the family decided to emigrate to Western Australia. John Bussell and three of his brothers sailed for Western Australia on board ''

Warrior A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have be ...

'' late in 1829, with the rest of the Bussell family to follow once the brothers were established. On arriving at the Swan River Colony in March 1830, the Bussell brothers were advised that most of the good land near the Swan River had already been granted. The

Governor of Western Australia The governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of the monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. As with the other governors of the Australian states, the governor of Western Australia performs constitutiona ...

, Sir James Stirling 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 of Western Australia. Course The river begins at the junction of Arthur River and Balgarup River near Quelarup and travels in a south westerly direction through the tow ...

, 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 (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 after gaining his freedom 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 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 Waadandi Noongar people by European settlers in the vicinity of Wonnerup, Western Australia in February 1841. The massacre on Waadandi-Doonan lan ...

. These events were described in 1897 by historian Warren Bert Kimberly as 'one of the most bloodthirsty deeds ever committed by Englishmen' (Ryan et al.,2019). 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 Hale School is an independent, Anglican day and boarding school for boys, located in Wembley Downs, a western suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Named after the school founded by Bishop Mathew Blagden Hale in 1858, Hale School claims to be ...

) in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

. He later undertook

theological Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the s ...

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 Legislative Assembly, the lower house. The two Houses ...

. 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 The City of Busselton is a Local government areas of Western Australia, local government area in the South West (Western Australia), South West region of Western Australia, approximately south of Perth, the state capital. The city covers an are ...

in the ArtGeo Cultural Complex as part of the Busselton Settlement Art Project.

Notes

References

* * Republished in 1979 by Nedlands, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. . * Hasluck, Alexandra (1955). ''Portrait with Background: A Life of Georgiana Molloy'', Oxford University Press, Melbourne. Ryan, Lyndall; Pascoe, William; Debenham, Jennifer; Gilbert, Stephanie; Richards, Jonathan; Smith, Robyn; Owen, Chris; Anders, Robert J; Brown, Mark; Price, Daniel; Newley, Jack; Usher, Kaine (2019). Colonial Frontier Massacres in Australia Newcastle: University of Newcastle, 2017-2020, http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1340762 (accessed 12/11/2020). Funded by ARC: DP 140100399. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bussell, John Garret 1803 births 1875 deaths English explorers Explorers of Western Australia Staff of Hale School Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council Settlers of Western Australia Busselton People from Busselton 19th-century Australian politicians People associated with massacres of Indigenous Australians