Walter Padbury
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Walter Padbury (22 December 1820 – 18 April 1907) was a British-born Australian
pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land. In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and de ...
, politician and philanthropist.


Early Life

Padbury was born in
Stonesfield Stonesfield is a village and civil parish about north of Witney in Oxfordshire, and about 10 miles (17 km) north-west of Oxford. The village is on the crest of an escarpment. The parish extends mostly north and north-east of the village, ...
in the English county of Oxfordshire on 22 December 1820. At the age of 10, Padbury was brought by his father to Fremantle, Western Australia, aboard the on 25 February 1830, before his father's death in July of that year. Padbury was left in the care of a married couple, who absconded with his inheritance, leaving Padbury as a homeless orphan. He held multiple occupations in an attempt to support himself, including shepherding near
York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
for a £10 salary at the age of 16. By 1863, Padbury had saved enough money to arrange for his mother and other family members to immigrate to Australia, becoming one of the first settlers in
North West Australia The North West, North West Coast, North Western Australia and North West Australia, are usually informal names for the northern regions of the State of Western Australia. However, some conceptions of "North West Australia" have included adjoi ...
, squatting on the territory of the indigenous Nyamal people surrounding the
De Grey River The De Grey River is a river located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It was named on 16 August 1861 by the explorer and surveyor Francis Gregory after Thomas de Grey, 2nd Earl de Grey, who was at the time the president of the Roya ...
. This venture failed after several years.


Career

Despite his prior business failure, he remained interested in the North West. Later in life he found success in his ownership of a profitable flour-mill at Guildford. He was a committed member of the
Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia The Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia (RASWA) was established 1831 in Western Australia. Early history It held its first annual agricultural show, the Fair and Cattle Show, at Guildford, Western Australia, Guildford on 7 November ...
, serving as president from 1874 to 1876 and again in 1885. With the capital and stability afforded to him from his successful businesses, including a line of general stores, he often donated to charitable institutions and financially supported the endeavours of his extended family. He had a long political career as well, serving as a member of the Perth City Council, chairman of the Guildford Municipal Council, and the member for Swan in 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 ...
from 1872 until his resignation in 1877.''The Western Australian Parliamentary Handbook (Twenty-Third Edition)''
, p. 370.


Death and legacy

He died 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 ...
on 18 April 1907 at the age of 87. His wife, Charlotte, had died earlier in February 1895. Padbury's will continued his philanthropy, leaving large sums of his money to multiple charitable institutions including the Waifs Home at Parkerville and the Swan Boys Orphanage. The northern Perth suburb of
Padbury Padbury is a village within the Buckinghamshire unitary authority area, England. It is located on the A413 main road that links Buckingham with Winslow. History The village name is Old English in origin, and means 'Padda's fortress'. In th ...
was named for him in 1971.


See also

*
Padbury Buildings Padbury Buildings is the name for a range of existing and former structures found in various localities in Western Australia. The Padbury family, mainly Walter Padbury, had a range of buildings, some of which now are heritage listed. Buildings ...
– Former development in Perth with a nearby plaque dedicated to him in 1990 *
Thornlie, Western Australia Thornlie is a large residential suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, located south-east of the city's central business district. It is a part of the City of Gosnells local government area. The Canning River runs through the ...
– Suburb of Perth beginning as a farm owned by his niece and financed by Padbury.


Notes


References

* * *Cara Cammilleri,
Padbury, Walter (1820 - 1907)
, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 5, MUP, 1974, pp 388–389. {{DEFAULTSORT:Padbury, Walter 1820 births 1907 deaths People from Perth, Western Australia English emigrants to Australia Settlers of Western Australia People from West Oxfordshire District 19th-century Australian philanthropists 19th-century squatters