William Henry Trimmer (c. 1822 – 22 December 1867) was a vigneron and politician in the early colony of South Australia. Trimmer may have arrived in South Australia on the ''Guiana'' from London in March 1842. In 1943 he leased farmland on the banks of the

Sturt River The Sturt River, also known as the Sturt Creek and ''Warri Parri'' (''Warriparri'') in the Kaurna language, is a river located in the Adelaide region of the Australian state of South Australia. Course and features The Sturt River rises in Upper ...

. Between 1859 and 1861 he planted some of grapes at his vineyard. The property, "Fairford" in the Adelaide suburb of Sturt on which he built a modest house and wine cellar. He purchased the property from the South Australian Company in 1862. He was a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

and Chairman of the District Council of Brighton 1866–1867.Dolling, Alison ''The History of Marion on the Sturt'' Peacock Publications, Frewville, South Australia 1901. He was a candidate for one of two seats of Noarlunga in the

South Australian House of Assembly The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide. Overview The House of Assembly was creat ...

in 1865, and came a credible third in the contest (

John Colton John Colton may refer to: *John Colton (politician) (1823–1902), Australian politician, Premier of South Australia and philanthropist * John Colton (bishop) (c. 1320–1404), statesman and cleric in Ireland *John Colton (screenwriter) John Colt ...

348,

John Carr John Carr may refer to: Politicians *John Carr (Indiana politician) (1793–1845), American politician from Indiana *John Carr (Australian politician, born 1819) (1819–1913), member of the South Australian House of Assembly, 1865–1884 * John H ...

303, Trimmer 261), but votes cast at Happy Valley could not be included, as the returns had been signed by the Poll Clerk rather than the Returning Officer. This put Trimmer in second place, thus giving him a seat. His offer to waive any objections could not be accepted, so immediately on taking his seat on 9 March 1865 he resigned in favour of Carr. His last months were made miserable by the effects of ''

delirium tremens Delirium tremens (DTs) is a rapid onset of confusion usually caused by withdrawal from alcohol. When it occurs, it is often three days into the withdrawal symptoms and lasts for two to three days. Physical effects may include shaking, shiver ...

'', and he killed himself by swallowing a large quantity of

laudanum Laudanum is a tincture of opium containing approximately 10% powdered opium by weight (the equivalent of 1% morphine). Laudanum is prepared by dissolving extracts from the opium poppy (''Papaver somniferum Linnaeus'') in alcohol (ethanol). Red ...

. He left his property to his wife and to Edward Amand Wright, a friend of 20 years. It is likely that Trimmer's cellar building was designed by Edmund Wright, Edward's brother. "Fairford" was in 1876 sold to Henry Laffer, hence its colloquial name "Laffer's Triangle", now

Warriparinga Warriparinga, also spelt Warriparingga, (meaning ''Windy Place'' in the local Kaurna language) is a nature reserve comprising in the metropolitan suburb of Bedford Park, in the southern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. Also known as Fairfo ...

Other interests

He was a member of the Free Rifles Corps, a volunteer regiment, and elected Captain in 1860. He was a breeder of thoroughbred horses and a member of the building committee for St. Mary's Anglican Church, which opened in September 1847.

Family

Trimmer married Eliza Catherine Duthy (c. 1831 – 16 January 1883). Their children included: *James Trimmer (1850 – ) *William Trimmer (1851 – ) married Mary Anne Daly ( –1919) in 1899 *Edmund Trimmer (1852 – 8 April 1889) *Frederick Trimmer (28 May 1854 – ) married Lilian Mary Dalzell on 16 January 1883 *Leonard Mortimer Trimmer (5 August 1855 – ) *Alexander Trimmer (24 December 1857 – ) *Ernest Trimmer (3 August 1859 – 2 July 1930) married Eliza Haynes (24 August 1865 – 29 October 1953) on 10 October 1883, lived Tanunda then Price Crescent, Lower Mitcham *Maud Trimmer (19 May 1863 – ) *Percival Trimmer (11 February 1866 – ) married Mary Ellen "Nellie" Haynes (c. 1866 – 30 January 1950) on 4 March 1890, lived at "Fairford" Tanunda, later Baliol Street, College Park.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trimmer, William Australian winemakers Members of the South Australian House of Assembly Drug-related suicides in Australia Suicides in South Australia 1822 births 1867 deaths 19th-century Australian politicians English emigrants to colonial Australia 1860s suicides