William Duckett White (1807–1893) was a
squatter
Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...
and politician 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
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 The 1900s may refer to:
* 1900s (decade), the decade from 1900 to 1909
* The century from 1900 to 1999, al ...
.
Early life
William White was born into a large
Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
family on 5 October 1807 in
Moate
Moate (; ) is a town in County Westmeath, Ireland.
The name ''An Móta'' is derived from the term motte-and-bailey, as the Normans built an example of this type of fortification here. The earthwork is still visible behind the buildings on the m ...
,
County Westmeath
"Noble above nobility"
, image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country
, subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland
, subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...
, Ireland and was educated at the Quaker school in
Mountmellick
Mountmellick or Mountmellic () is a town in the north of County Laois, Ireland. It lies on the N80 national secondary road and the R422 and R423 regional roads.
Name
''Mountmellick'', sometimes spelt ''Montmellick'' or ''Montmellic'', is a ...
in
County Laois
County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...
. In 1835 William married Jane Simpson from
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
.
Pastoral career
William and Jane White and their two children emigrated from Ireland to
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
as assisted immigrants in 1840. When he arrived in Australia, William assumed his grandmother's maiden name as a second Christian name, and became known thereafter as William Duckett White. From 1842-44 White taught school in the Mangrove area north of Sydney until accepting an offer in 1845 to manage the Beau Desert pastoral run in the
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 ...
District for his cousin Joseph Phelps Robinson. When Robinson died in 1848, his brother George Robinson and W.D. White took over the lease of Beau Desert, one of the largest runs on the
Logan River
The Logan River ( Yugambeh: ''Dugulumba'') is a perennial river located in the Scenic Rim, Logan and Gold Coast local government areas of the South East region of Queensland, Australia. The -long river is one of the dominant waterways in South ...
. In 1857, White left Beau Desert under the management of his son Ernest White and William, and with his wife Jane and their daughter Helena moved to
Eagle Farm
Eagle Farm is an eastern industrial suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Eagle Farm had a population of 0 people.
The neighbourhood of Whinstanes is located in Eagle Farm ().
Geography
Eagle Farm is situated nor ...
near
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 ...
.
The Robinson-White partnership acquired the leases of many cattle runs in Queensland. In addition to the Beau Desert lease they took up three runs in the
Gold Coast hinterland in the early 1850s: Tubber in 1852 and Murry Jerry and Dungogie runs in 1853. In 1867 they took up the lease of
Pimpama
Pimpama is a northern suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the , Pimpama had a population of 9,396 people. The name is of Aboriginal origin. The suburb contains numerous schools with the first opening in the 1870s.
A s ...
and Cumboomba (or
Coombabah
Coombabah is a suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the , Coombabah had a population of 10,388 people.
Geography
Surrounding Coombabah is Paradise Point and Hope Island to the north, Arundel to the south, Runaway Bay ...
) runs in the
Beenleigh
Beenleigh is a town and suburb in the City of Logan, Queensland, Australia. In the , the suburb of Beenleigh had a population of 8,252 people.
A government survey for the new town was conducted in 1866. The town is the terminus for the Beenlei ...
area but these were thrown
open for selection in 1869, and the lease forfeited. In 1871 White and partner William Barker leased the runs of
Kerry
Kerry or Kerri may refer to:
* Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name)
Places
* Kerry, Queensland, Australia
* County Kerry, Ireland
** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...
,
Sarabah, and
Nindooinbah adjacent to
Beau Desert. Much of Beau Desert was cut up for closer settlement in the 1860s and early 1870s following which WD White and his sons acquired the Bluff Downs leases in the Kennedy District. From 1882 the W.D. Whites & Sons formed a partnership with William Collins, Sir Malcolm McEachern, and Sir Simon Fraser. This partnership, called White Collins & Co., leased Beaudesert North, Eulolo, and Glen Ormiston and survived for about a century. The White partnership also owned land in
Tingalpa
Tingalpa is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Tingalpa had a population of 8,290 people.
Geography
The suburb has some older style homes built in the post war period – weatherboard and chamferboard post war ...
(
Lota) and town properties in Beenleigh and
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England.
Southport lies on the Irish ...
.
Lota House
Lota House was erected on the Tingalpa land in 1865-66 and on completion it was transferred to W.D.White's wife Jane. Jane owned Lota House until her death in 1887 and bequeathed it to their son Albert with a proviso that it remain William's home for his lifetime. William died at Lota House in 1893 and is buried alongside Jane in the Tingalpa churchyard.
Politics
White was appointed to 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 ...
on 26 April 1861. Although a lifetime appointment, he resigned from the Council on 5 August 1880.
[
]
Later life
WD White was active in the local community, being one of the first members of the Bulimba Divisional Board established in 1879–80, a warden of the Tingalpa Anglican Church (now Christ Church, Tingalpa
Christ Church Tingalpa and Burial Ground is a heritage-listed former Anglican church at 1341 Wynnum Road, Tingalpa, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1868 to 1993. It is now known as the Pioneer Wedding Chapel. It was a ...
).
White died 11 August 1893 at Lota House.[ He was buried in Tingalpa Cemetery (]Christ Church, Tingalpa
Christ Church Tingalpa and Burial Ground is a heritage-listed former Anglican church at 1341 Wynnum Road, Tingalpa, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1868 to 1993. It is now known as the Pioneer Wedding Chapel. It was a ...
) on Saturday 12 August 1893.
See also
* Members of the Queensland Legislative Council, 1860–1869
This is a list of members of the Queensland Legislative Council from its creation on 1 May 1860 to 31 December 1869. Appointments, made by the Governor of Queensland, were for life, although many members for one reason or another resigned. Prior ...
; 1870-1879; 1880-1889
References
Attribution
Further reading
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:White, William Duckett
Members of the Queensland Legislative Council
1807 births
1893 deaths
People from Moate
Articles incorporating text from the Queensland Heritage Register
19th-century Australian politicians
Irish emigrants to Australia