John Moir (settler)
John Moir | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Cape Riche, Western Australia |
| Died | May 31, 1939 (aged 87) Albany Hospital, Western Australia |
| Occupation | Pastoralist |
| Known for | Managing properties east of Albany within the Great Southern district; involvement in sandalwood harvesting, whaling, and sealing logistics |
John Moir (12 August 1851 – 31 May 1939) was a prominent Australian pastoralist who managed properties east of Albany within the Great Southern district.
He was born in 1851 at Cape Riche as the eldest child of Andrew Moir, an early Scottish settler from Markinch, Fifeshire, who established the family presence in the area during the 1840s. Initially, the Moir family resided near settler George Cheyne, with two of John's siblings employed on Cheyne’s farm at Cape Riche.
In 1858, the Moir family purchased Cheyne’s estate, including the homestead buildings, which date back to approximately 1850. John Moir later improved the property by adding facilities such as a billiards room and a blacksmith workshop, crafting much of the furniture from driftwood found locally.
From the 1870s through the early twentieth century, the station functioned as a logistical hub supporting sandalwood harvesting, whaling, and sealing activities in the region.
Following his marriage in 1881 and his father’s passing, Moir inherited a half share of Cape Riche and continued to reside there. In 1920, he and his son Neil expanded their landholdings along Cheynes Beach by acquiring an additional . Meanwhile, other sons established sheep stations near the Salt River. The family’s sheep farming operations mainly supplied meat to gold mining communities around Norseman.
John Moir passed away on 31 May 1938 at Albany Hospital at age 87 and was interred at Cape Riche.