Richard Goldsmith MEARES
| First name | Richard Goldsmith |
|---|---|
| Last name | MEARES |
| Country of Origin | Britain |
| Date of Birth | 1780 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 15/12/1829 |
| Submitted by | Douglas STURKEY |
Story
Of Irish extraction, Meares was commissioned in the Royal Fusiliers (1809) before transferring to the 2nd Life Guards (1812-17) with which he served during the Napoleonic wars on the Iberian Peninsula and at Waterloo. Retirement in 1818 on a captain\’s half-pay lacked excitement and, in common with a number of other military men, he decided to seek new prospects in the Swan River colony, founded in June 1829. He migrated with his wife, four sons and four daughters, but was disturbed on arrival to learn that Thomas Peel, with whom he had invested £500 in the expectation of an allocation of land and materials in the settlement, was unable to honour their agreement. Peel\’s venture required that he and his party arrive before November, but they were overdue and found that the land reserved for them had been allocated to others. Meares struggled without success to make Peel fulfil his undertaking and he had great difficulty in feeding his family and seven servants. He was fortunate, however, in securing rations from the government stores on credit.
The Meares family moved to Guildford in 1832 where their difficulties continued for several years until he received a government appointment in 1840. During that time he was threatened with withdrawal of credit unless he surrendered one of his horses in settlement of his debt. He was loathe to do this and countered with alternative proposals. The possibility of government service was mooted: appointment as Superintendent of Mounted Police was entertained, but the position was already filled. He was appointed District Superintendent for Guildford in October 1834, only to have the office abolished a few months later. In 1837 he was gazetted a Justice of the Peace; and in 1840-41 was appointed government resident for the Murray district with an emolument of £50. He was transferred to York in 1842 as its government resident, doubling his salary, and held that position until his retirement in 1859 at the age of 79. During his term the town grew and he was active in encouraging the development of a church, school and hospital; the York road was improved; and a convict hiring depot was established at York soon after the arrival of the first convict ship in WA in 1850.
Meares\’s contribution to the nascent colony also reflected his personal interests in horses and horticulture. He was the first secretary of the club formed in 1839 for importing English thoroughbreds. He planted a fine garden and fruit trees at his house in Guildford; and at York cultivated grape vines and introduced a skinless barley. He became an early director of the Western Australian Agricultural Society.
Captain R.G. Meares died in 1862. His wife of 46 years, Eleanor (nŽe Seymour), predeceased him by many years, having passed away in 1854.