Peter Imlay (1797–1881) was a Scottish-born pioneer settler in southern

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 ...

. Peter and his brothers

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

(1794-1847) and

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

(1794?-1846) operated in the region as pastoralists, whalers and shipbuilders.

Life and career

Peter Imlay was baptised on 22 January 1797 at

Aberdeen, Scotland Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), an ...

. He came to Australia aboard the sailing ship ''Greenock'', reaching

Hobart Town Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/ Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

in February 1830. He was an inspector of stock at Launceston by July 1830. He and his brothers took up 3,885 square km of land near

Twofold Bay Twofold Bay is an open oceanic embayment that is located in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The bay was named by George Bass, for its shape of two bights. The northern bight is called Calle Calle Bay; while the souther ...

in southern New South Wales. The brothers experienced financial difficulties in the economic depression that began in 1840. These saw them lose most of the land. Imlay was on the chartered Hobart vessel ''Breeze'', sailing from

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austra ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, when the vessel was wrecked at

Upolu Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano which rises from the seafloor of the western Pacific Ocean. The island is long and in area, making it the second largest of the Samoan Islands by area. With approximate ...

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

, in July 1846 with no loss of life. George died at Twofold Bay in 1846, and Alexander in 1847. Imlay married Jane McGuire on 23 February 1853 at St Andrews Presbyterian Church in Sydney. He and his family moved to

in 1851 and settled at Balgownie,

Wanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whang ...

. He died there on 8 March 1881, survived by his wife and three daughters.

Legacy

Among the things named after the Imlay brothers in the New South Wales area is Imlay Street (the main street in Eden), Imlay Creek, the Mount Imlay National Park and

Imlay Shire Imlay Shire was a Local government in Australia, local government area in the South Coast (New South Wales), South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Imlay Shire was proclaimed on 7 March 1906, one of 134 shires created after the passin ...

(absorbed into Bega Valley Shire in 1981). In New Zealand, Imlay Parish, in the County of

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

, bears his surname.Parish of Imlay, County of Auckland, map, NLA
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Life and career

Legacy

References

Further reading