John Pascoe Fawkner
John Pascoe Fawkner | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Cripplegate, London, England |
| Died | September 4, 1869 (aged 76) |
| Occupation(s) | Pioneer, entrepreneur, political leader |
| Known for | Founding Melbourne, establishing early Melbourne newspapers, political service in Victoria |
John Pascoe Fawkner (20 October 1792 – 4 September 1869) was a pioneering figure, entrepreneur, and political leader in the early development of Melbourne, Australia. In 1835, he funded a group of free settlers from Van Diemen's Land (currently Tasmania) to voyage to the mainland aboard his vessel, the Enterprize. This party navigated to Port Phillip and ascended the Yarra River, establishing the settlement that would evolve into Melbourne.
Early years
Fawkner was born in 1792 near Cripplegate, London, to John Fawkner, a metal refining craftsman, and Hannah née Pascoe, who was of Cornish heritage. In 1803, he traveled with his convict father on HMS Calcutta to found a British outpost in Bass Strait. The initial colony at Sullivan Bay, close to modern-day Sorrento, faced severe shortages and was abandoned by 1804 in favor of Van Diemen's Land.
By 1806, the Fawkner family had established a farm where John Pascoe worked using limited equipment. At age eighteen, he began an apprenticeship as a builder and sawyer. While in Hobart, he supported his pardoned father’s ventures in bakery, timber milling, and brewing, eventually taking charge of the bakery located on Macquarie Street.
In 1814, Fawkner became involved in assisting seven convicts who attempted to escape Van Diemen's Land for South America. After constructing a lugger at Recherche Bay with timber felled by this group, Fawkner was left ashore and returned to farming. The escape effort failed when leaks forced the fugitives to turn back; authorities seized their vessel. Tried and sentenced to receive 500 lashes along with three years of hard labour, Fawkner later reflected on this episode as an act born of misplaced compassion.
In December 1819, Fawkner and Eliza Cobb, a transported convict, moved to Launceston. They married in 1822 with permission from Governor George Arthur and launched several enterprises including a bakery, timber business, bookshop, newspaper titled The Launceston Advertiser (1829), nursery, and orchard. Following Eliza’s pardon, Fawkner secured a licence in 1826 to operate the Cornwall Hotel.
Settlement of Melbourne
Fawkner grew increasingly discontented with a government whose primary focus was on convict management rather than supporting free settlers and fostering economic growth.
Inspired by reports from the Hentys at Portland and explorations by Charles Sturt further north, Fawkner resolved to establish a settlement at Port Phillip. In April 1835, he acquired the topsail schooner, Enterprize.
In May 1835, John Batman led an expedition aboard Rebecca to Port Phillip, exploring areas now part of northern Melbourne suburbs up to Keilor. He identified fertile land suitable for sheep grazing before returning to Launceston.
When the Enterprize left George Town in August 1835, creditors barred Fawkner from joining the initial voyage. Commanded by Captain John Lancey and crewed by builder George Evans alongside carpenters William Jackson and Robert Marr, the ship entered the Yarra River on 15 August and anchored near what is now William Street. On 30 August, settlers disembarked to construct a storehouse and clear land for cultivation.
Fawkner arrived at Port Phillip on 16 October 1835 during the second journey of the Enterprize, bringing livestock such as cattle and horses. His diary reveals his diligent work ethic: by 20 October he was erecting a roof on his house; within four weeks he completed a four-room weatherboard dwelling featuring glazed windows and a brick chimney built without professional bricklayers.
Once shelter was secured, Fawkner concentrated on food production—ploughing fields south of the Yarra near the falls in November and sowing vegetables including potatoes, beans, peas, radishes, and cabbage. He also took an active role in Melbourne’s initial land acquisitions: on 1 June 1837 he purchased Block No.1 located at Bourke and William Streets for £32 as well as another parcel at Market and Flinders streets. His early residence on Bourke Street is illustrated in Robert Russell’s 1838 artwork viewed from the south bank of the Yarra close to present-day Queen Street.
Melbourne entrepreneur and political figure
John Fawkner played a pivotal role in Melbourne's foundational growth by establishing the first hotel at the intersection of Market Street and Flinders Lane. He was a significant force in the early newspaper scene of Melbourne, founding two of its initial publications and championing causes such as universal political enfranchisement, support for small enterprises, landowners' rights, and the autonomy of Port Phillip.
On 1 January 1838, he introduced the Melbourne Advertiser, the district's inaugural newspaper. Initially produced by hand, it later employed a wooden press imported from Tasmania. However, after releasing 17 issues by April 1838, publication ceased due to licensing complications. Subsequently, in February 1839, Fawkner launched the Port Phillip Patriot and Melbourne Advertiser, which transitioned to daily circulation from May 1845 onward. In addition to his publishing ventures, he ran a business specializing in bookselling and stationery supplies.
In 1839, Fawkner purchased one of eleven plots within the Coburg subdivision designed by surveyor Robert Hoddle, known as Belle Vue Park or Pascoe Vale Park. He divided his time between his farmhouse residence there and a townhouse located in Collingwood from 1840 through 1855.
Fawkner was actively engaged in politics, articulating his stance on governance through a document advocating for universal male suffrage without property qualifications and promoting eligibility based on moral character and competence:
He was elected Market Commissioner in 1842 and served as a town councillor beginning in 1843, holding these roles for several years. On 18 September 1851, he secured election to the inaugural Victorian Legislative Council representing Talbot, Dalhousie, and Anglesey districts, maintaining this position until its dissolution in March 1856. Following this, in November 1856 he was chosen for the first Parliament of self-governing Victoria as a representative for Central Province, a seat he held until his passing on 4 September 1869. One year before his death, Fawkner sold his extensive personal library consisting of 1,266 volumes, reflecting his wide-ranging intellectual pursuits.
Although he made numerous rivals both in Melbourne and previously in Launceston, Fawkner passed away as a respected senior statesman at age 77 in Collingwood. His government-sanctioned public funeral on 8 September 1869 attracted over 200 carriages and approximately 15,000 mourners. He was laid to rest at Melbourne General Cemetery. John Fawkner and his wife Eliza did not have children.
Legacy
Numerous locations throughout Melbourne commemorate John Fawkner’s name, including the John Fawkner Private Hospital, the suburbs of Fawkner and Pascoe Vale, Fawkner Park, as well as the Fawkner Beacon weather station situated in Port Phillip.
In 1979, Melbourne City Council commissioned sculptor Michael Mezaros to create a statue of Fawkner that was unveiled on Collins Street outside the National Mutual building. This monument stood alongside a statue of John Batman for nearly four decades before being removed to allow construction of the CBUS Collins Arch development.
A replica of the Enterprize, the vessel Fawkner acquired to help found Melbourne, was built at the Melbourne Maritime Museum and launched in 1997. Today it functions as a tourist attraction operating within Port Phillip Bay.
References
- History of Melbourne
- Billot, C.P., The Life and Times of John Pascoe Fawkner, Hyland House, Melbourne, 1985