John Garrett Bussell

Words by Vernon J Bussell Whicher Heights Busselton 2/09/2014 from the Busselton Settlement Appeal document. John Garrett Bussell was born in 1803 at Portsea Hampshire England in 1803. He was the eldest of nine children of the Reverend William Marchant Bussell, an Anglican clergyman and his wife Frances, nee Yates. The untimely death of John’s father in 1820 placed great strain on the family especially regarding the ongoing education of John and his eight siblings. At that time John Garrett was intending to follow his father into the church. His early education was at Winchester College and after winning two exhibitions to Trinity College Oxford, John obtained his B.A. in 1829. While awaiting his ordination the family heard glowing reports of migration to the newly settled Swan River Colony. Migration appeared as the perfect solution to the family’s difficulties, so in 1829, John, Charles, Vernon and young Alfred Bussell sailed for Western Australia aboard “The Warrior.” In May of 1830 John Garrett Bussell, his brothers, and others who sailed on “The Warrior,” including the Turners, Dawsons, Laymans and Chapmans were encouraged by Governor James Stirling to take up land near Cape Leeuwin at Augusta where a military post lead by Captain John Molloy was stationed. With his brothers, J.G.B. built a cottage and planted a garden but found the heavy Karri Forest too hard to clear to meet their farming needs, and following near starvation when many of the crops planted by themselves and the other new settlers failed, and the destruction by fire of the Bussell brothers newest home, The “Adelphi” on The Blackwood, the determined and enterprising John Bussell began the search for yet another new beginning. J.G. Bussell discovered the excellent grazing lands of the lower Vasse in 1831,applied for, and was granted on behalf of he and his brothers the districts first land grant in 1832, and subsequently rescued the Government backed Augusta settlement from certain failure by leading the struggling Augusta pioneer settlers to his newly founded “Busselton”, in April of 1834. The Western Australian Government in June of 1835, under the authority of Western Australia’s first Governor Sir James Stirling, named Busselton in honour of Busselton’s pioneer Bussell families and especially in recognition of the vision and achievements of the districts founding leader John Garrett Bussell. Just a couple of years after those first beginnings the Bussell’s at Cattle Chosen shipped from the Vasse a large surplus of butter and cheese and more than half a ton of potatoes. The wheel had begun to turn and John’s vision was being realised. By this stage he had in his spare time organised and designed, and assisted in the building of historic St Mary’s, W.A’s oldest stone church, and in the absence of Government funding, he designed and built with assistance from Mr Blechynden the first bridge over the Vasse River into Busselton. As a Justice of the Peace also, John G Bussell gave years of service to The Vasse District, and to top it off he was elected in 1870 to the Colony’s first Legislative Council under representative Government, and so in effect he became the first ever Member For Vasse. John Bussell Died at “Cattle Chosen” on 21st September 1875 and was buried at St Mary’s Busselton near the historic Church he designed and helped to build, and where he had conducted many services, in the absence of a resident clergyman. The Bussells original Property “Cattle Chosen” Sussex Location 1 is still farmed today by The Vines Family, who are direct J.G.B. descendants. The proposed life size bronze statue of John Garrett Bussell in the heart of Busselton’s wonderful heritage precinct will finally pay due recognition to the leadership, tenacity and vision of this gifted, generous spirited, Pioneer Founder of Busselton.