Charles Edward Broadhurst
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Charles Edward Broadhurst (1826–26 April 1905) was a pioneer pastoralist and pearler in colonial Western Australia. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council in 1874 and 1875.
Born in Manchester, England in 1826, Broadhurst emigrated to Victoria in 1843. Until 1860, he was a pastoralist at Swinton in partnership with his brother. On 22 June 1860, Broadhurst married Eliza Howes, with whom he would have seven children. He then dissolved his partnership with his brother, operating on his own at Wallan.
In 1864, Broadhurst became involved in the Denison Plains Company's plans to transport and establish Victorian settlers at the new settlement at Camden Harbour, Western Australia. Appointed manager, he sailed with settlers and stock on the Warrior in May 1865. On hearing in Fremantle of the failure of Camden Harbour, they decided to sail for the settlement at Roebuck Bay instead, but after failing to find it, the settlers were disembarked at Tien Tsin. The company suffered heavy financial losses, and was eventually bankrupted. The settlers blamed Broadhurst for the failure, and criticised him for refusing to share out the stock until the company's affairs were settled.
In June 1866, Broadhurst was a member of an exploring party under Trevarton Sholl, which searched for good pasture and a good harbour in Exmouth Gulf. The expedition was absent for 49 days, and covered 1,000 miles of terrain, but found nothing of value.
Broadhurst remained in the north west of Western Australia for many years. Until 1873 he was a pastoralist on the Ashburton River, and from 1868 was also involved in the pearling industry at Nickol Bay. He was the first settler to import Malay pearl divers. In 1871 he travelled to England, where he bought the Xantho. It was to be the first steamship to trade on the coast of Western Australia, but it sank on its maiden voyage. The loss of the Xantho caused Broadhurst substantial financial difficulties, and he reneged on payments due to 140 Malay pearl divers. Unpaid and unable to return home, many of them starved to death.
On 6 July 1874, Broadhurst was nominated to the Western Australian Legislative Council. Around the same time, however, an investigation was launched into charges made by the Malays against Broadhurst. Eventually charged were brought against Broadhurst, prompting him to resign from the Legislative Council on 24 November 1875. He then took out a writ of certiorari and the cases brought against him were quashed by the Supreme Court in January 1876.
In 1878, Broadhurst initiated fish-canning at Mandurah. In 1884 he established the guano industry at the Houtman Abrolhos; he worked in the industry until 1890. In that year, he retired in favour of his son and shortly afterwards returned to England. From 1895 until his death in 26 April 1905, he lived at Bournemouth.
[edit] References
- Black, David and Bolton, Geoffrey (2001). Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia, Volume One, 1870–1930, Revised Edition, Parliament House: Parliament of Western Australia. ISBN 0730738140.
