Thomas Magarey

South Australian Pioneer Thomas Magarey, State Library of South Australia B-56079

Thomas Magarey (25 February 1825 – 31 August 1902) was an Irish-born miller and pastoralist who, with his brother James, migrated to Nelson, New Zealand in 1842 (aged 17), and to Adelaide, South Australia in 1845 (aged 20). He was also one of the Members of the South Australian House of Assembly, 1860–1862 for West Torrens, and one of the South Australian Legislative Council 1865-1867.[1] He was also intensely religious, setting up the first Church of Christ in Australia by 1849, and joining the Plymouth Brethren in 1872.

Magarey was born in County Down, Ireland. He married Elizabeth Verco on 13 March 1848, first living at Noarlunga, then moving to Hindmarsh in 1849 where, with his brother James, he had bought the Hindmarsh flour-mill from John Ridley. In the 1850s he moved to Enfield, South Australia. Elizabeth and Thomas had 10 children and many grandchildren. In 1880 he joined the Plymouth Brethren, leaving the Church of Christ. He died at his farm at Enfield on 31 August 1902.

Family

His eldest son, Alexander Thomas Magarey (10 March 1849 – 20 June 1906), a foundation member of the Geographical Society of SA, was a member of the Calvert expedition in which Wells and Jones died. He married Virginia Campbell of Bethany, West Virginia, USA. Archibald Campbell Magarey was their only son.[2]

His second son, Dr. Sylvanus James Magarey (21 October 1850 – 24 March 1901) sat in the Legislative Council for the Central district from May 1888 to April 1897. He was a noted surgeon with close connections to the Adelaide Children's Hospital, and religious teetotaller;[3] one of the founders of the Church of Christ in Australia. His brother Cromwell and son Frank were both medical men.

Other children included J. W. and T. C. A. Magarey, Dr. Cromwell Magarey (one of the first four graduates of the Adelaide Medical School and father of Dr. Ivan S. Magarey),[4] Mrs. W Norman, Miss Magarey, and Mrs. C. S. Scutt.

His brother James (ca.1818 – 11 August 1859) ran Gannawarra Station on Gunbower Creek (a tributary of the River Murray), later owned a flour mill in Hindmarsh, South Australia, then moved to "Laurel Bank Villa", Geelong, Victoria. He drowned following the wreck of the SS Admella.[5] His son, William James Magarey (1840 – 15 December 1920), worked on the station, moved to Geelong with his father; owned flour mills at Hindmarsh and Port Pirie, and sat in the House of Assembly seat of West Torrens from April 1878 to March 1881.

His great nephew (son of William James Magarey) was lawyer and sportsman William Ashley Magarey (30 January 1868 – 18 October 1929) of Magarey Medal fame.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Thomas Magarey". Former Member of Parliament Details. Parliament of South Australia.
  2. ↑ "Death of Mr. A. T. Magarey". The Advertiser (Adelaide: National Library of Australia). 21 June 1906. p. 4. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  3. ↑ "Dr. S. J. Magarey". The Advertiser (Adelaide: National Library of Australia). 27 February 1899. p. 4. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  4. ↑ "Obituary". The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954) (Adelaide, SA: National Library of Australia). 17 June 1940. p. 8. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  5. ↑ "Family Notices.". The South Australian Advertiser (Adelaide: National Library of Australia). 22 August 1859. p. 2. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  6. ↑ Herbert R. Taylor, 'Magarey, Thomas (1825–1902)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 2, Melbourne University Press, 1967, pp 197-198.
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