Thomas Rose (died 3 March 1837) was an early pioneer in the settlement of the British colony in

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 ...

, Australia. After being

transported ''Transported'' is an Australian convict melodrama film directed by W. J. Lincoln. It is considered a lost film. Plot In England, Jessie Grey is about to marry Leonard Lincoln but the evil Harold Hawk tries to force her to marry him and she w ...

from Britain for

housebreaking Housebreaking (American English) or house-training (British English) is the process of training a domesticated animal that lives with its human owners in a house or other residence to excrete (urinate and defecate) outdoors, or in a designated i ...

, he established himself as first a baker, and then later a

publican In antiquity, publicans ( Greek τελώνης ''telōnēs'' (singular); Latin ''publicanus'' (singular); ''publicani'' (plural)) were public contractors, in whose official capacity they often supplied the Roman legions and military, managed th ...

in Sydney. His grant and purchase of land in the Campbelltown area saw some of the earliest

water conservation Water conservation includes all the policies, strategies and activities to sustainably manage the natural resource of fresh water, to protect the hydrosphere, and to meet the current and future human demand (thus avoiding water scarcity). Popula ...

for agriculture in the colony, and the construction of one of the country's first

windmill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in some ...

s. There was more than one Thomas Rose who played a pioneering role in the New South Wales colony. For the purposes of distinguishing them, this one is often known as Thomas Rose of Mount Gilead.

Early life

Rose was transported as a convict to New South Wales for breaking and entering. A fact he denied, to perpetuate a myth that he migrated as a free settler.

Baker and publican

In 1810, Rose received a

land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

on the south-east corner of King and (what is now) Castlereagh streets in Sydney, where he built a bakery, and the neighbouring ''Rose and Crown Inn''. He held

horse races Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

in a neighbouring paddock, dubbed ''Roses Paddock''

Mount Gilead

Rose is closely associated with water conservation, and pioneering the land surrounding Campbelltown. He also built a windmill on the Mount Gilead estate.

Legacy

Thomas Rose died at Mount Gilead in 1837. He was buried on the estate, and his remains were later transferred to St Peter's Anglican Cemetery in Campbelltown, where a monument stands. The suburb of Rosemeadow is named after him, as is Thomas Rose Drive in that suburb.

References

External links