William John Sutton (1867 – 1936) – Obituary
The death occurred at the Harvey Hospital on Monday June 1, shortly before 6p.m., of Mr William John Sutton, a pioneer of the Harvey District, and son of one of the early settlers in the Mandurah district. The deceased had been in failing health since a minor illness last year, but of recent months his condition had materially improved. Some three weeks ago he was admitted to the Harvey Hospital, and although at times he rallied, his condition was regarded as serious. He suffered a very severe relapse and passed away peacefully.
The late Mr William John Sutton was born at Mandurah 69 years ago and was a son of the late Mr Henry and Mrs Jane Sutton, who were amongst the earliest settlers in that district. For a number of years he was engaged on his father’s farm and when a young man in his early twenties he selected a property at Jardup east of Harvey. With a determination which was characteristic of him, he set about carving himself a home in what was then regarded as wilderness. His efforts were crowned with no small measure of success. His almost complete isolation and total lack of more modern means of transport proved no deterrent to the intrepid young settler, who faced adversity and smiled complacently at the many pitfalls which were his share in a little-known part of the country.
On arrival there was no move made with the selection of the subsequent Korijekup and Harvey estates — moves he followed with the keenest interest. The development of the new townsite claimed much of his attention as the years progressed and in December 1895, he headed the poll at the first election held for the then Brunswick (now Harvey) Roads Board. The Board was already in existence, but at the first election there were three vacancies to be filled. Mr Sutton with 98 votes topped the poll and he was returned to a seat at the board table with Mr R. H. Rose and Mr F. W. Hawkins.
Mr Sutton voiced the keenest interest in local government and retained his seat till his retirement in April 1913. At the table he displayed a straight-forwardness and honesty of purpose which earned him the respect of his fellow members. Despite difficulties experienced in travelling to the venue of the board meetings, Mr. Sutton never missed a meeting. His expert knowledge of the conditions prevailing throughout the territory and his insight of the difficulties being experienced by the early settlers proved invaluable to the board in deciding on the expenditure of its elector resources. He was also an active member of both the Harvey Alliance and the Farmers’ Club, and was also associated with the Harvey Citrus Association and later the Harvey Agricultural Society.
It is 40 years since the late Mr Sutton was appointed a Justice of the Peace, and during the whole of that time has created a record of unselfish public duty, and in which never once did he shirk his responsibilities. His attitude on the Bench was always one of strictest impartiality, tempered with justice and mercy. During the time of the great work of the river diversion, when about 3000 men were camped at Myalup and Stonehouse on the outskirts of the Harvey district, he was called upon at all hours to officiate in his official capacity as a justice, and at all times he ungrudgingly gave his services.
During the Great War the late Mr Sutton served with A.I.F., being attached to the Light Horse regiment in Egypt. Being invalided home, he was on his return, appointed recruiting sergeant, with headquarters at Pinjarra, and in that capacity did useful service for his country and the Empire, carrying out the duties with tact, zeal and ability. He was also later on an active worker for the Pinjarra Sub-branch of the R.S.L., and in later years, a valued member of the Harvey Sub-branch. At the conclusion of the war the deceased was for several years manager for the “Blythewood” Estate, Pinjarra, for the late Duncan H McLarty.
The large and representative attendance at his obsequies on Wednesday afternoon June 3rd was testimony to the general esteem in which the late Mr Sutton was held in the community, amongst which he had lived and worked for so long. A short service was held at the Church of England, at the conclusion of which the Rev B W Earle paid tribute to the many stirling qualities of the deceased.
The funeral was held in the Church of England portion of the Harvey cemetery, where the Rev B W Earle conducted the service. The hearse was covered with wreaths and floral tributes, whilst the flag draped coffin also bore a number of wreaths.
The chief mourners were Mrs Sutton (wife), Mesdames Eames, Schmitt, and Jane (daughters), Mrs E S Warr, Marion, May, Lily, and Bubs Warwick (sisters), Mrs E Sutton, Nellie and Violet (sisters-in-law), Ken and Jack (nephews), Jean (niece). The pall bearers were: Messrs H Tuckey M.L.C., G R Bartley, A E Ball, W R Eckersley, E J Manning, T W D Smith, A H Smith, H B Lofthouse. Prior to the conclusion of the service the Last Post was sounded by Messrs M Livingstone and B Ottrey.
Amongst those in attendance at the graveside were Dr A. N. Jacobs, Messrs Ross McLarty, M.L.A., J Lowe (Chairman of the Harvey Road Board), E Douglas, Donald McLarty, J Hair, C C Thatcher, Drakesbrook Road Board, Ken and Jack Sutton (nephews of the deceased), G Woolly, E G Davis, Reece, J Shanahan, G Mitchell, R A Johnston, R Maidment, W Berry, L Clifton, M A Wickham, M Buchanan, J Chambers, (representing Crown Law Department), Morris, A Crampton, G Gauntlett (Agricultural Department), W O’Neil (Public Works Department), L R Grieves (Harvey Agricultural Society), R O Hayward, G Clayton, A J Markham, A H Jefferies, Trevena, A E Wooders, P Ward, Gibblett, Woodley, Moss, Durack, W Aylmore (Police Department), H Dennis, A Hutson, O C Rath, W E Ash, Stanford, G Buchanan, Geo. and Matt. Jackson (Wagerup).
(South Western Advertiser, 3 July 1936)
William John Sutton married Florence Cecilia Logue in Brunswick 1890.
The Sutton family, 1902. Photo courtesy of Ella Byett.
An Octogenarian Looks Back by PADDY STARR
Florence Cecilia Sutton nee Logue (1869 – 1956), daughter of Joseph Logue and Sarah Davis.
IN these days of modern transport, when people of the metropolitan area can visit one another in a matter of minutes and the residents of the hills districts can come to Perth for the evening and return home before midnight, it seems a far cry to the time when a trip from Gosnells to Perth and back took three days. Yet there are men and women who can today recall the time when they walked 20 miles to Perth and the same distance home again because there was no transport available.
Mrs. Florence Cecilia Sutton, of Temple-street, Victoria Park, who turned 80 on April 1 took us back for a glimpse of those days when men were everyday heroes and the women who helped in the establishment of the colony were equally heroic. Her grandparents were among the first to pioneer the bush of Western Australia, and her father was a member of a North-West expedition three members of which were murdered by blacks.
She is a grandchild of John Okey Davis, who in 1829 chose land on the Canning River, Gosnells, as suitable for settlement and primary production and was granted more than 7,000 acres of land. Her father, Joseph Logue, had the same adventurous spirit and he became a member of the Panter, Harding and Goldwyer expedition which sought to find in the North-West land that was suitable for pastoral development.
Mrs. Sutton has a diary kept by her father on these expeditions, and the first date recorded is February 16, 1865. But this was after Panter, Harding and Goldwyer had been murdered in the Roebuck Bay area. Extracts from the diary tell of long days spent exploring the country, and of the party leaving camp at sunrise and travelling through thickets, mangrove creeks or spinifex. Always there was with them the anxiety that water must be found.
After a number of years in this employment Joseph Logue settled at Cookernup, where he established a farm. A cottage on the property was on the main Perth-Bunbury mail route and there the mail coaches changed horses twice a week. Mrs. Sutton was only a child at the time, but she can remember such identities as the Governor of the State and leading clerics who travelled the route and stayed at the family homestead at night while their horses were rested. Horses used on the regular mail-coach service were stabled and rested on her father’s property, and a fresh team was replaced each visit.
The cottage was always occupied by a policeman and his family, for in those days, there was danger of tramps or “ticket men,” as the early colonials called them, travelling the road. Mrs. Sutton recalls that when the Governor was travelling the road he was conveyed in his own coach and had his own coachmen, while the Governor’s lady was always accompanied by her personal maid. Bishop Parry, who was a regular traveller and visited the Sutton home often, began his married life there for he spent his honeymoon on the farm.
In 1890 Mrs. Sutton married and left the district, going with her husband to a small holding at Jardup, on the Harvey River. She lived there for 23 years until she and her husband settled in Harvey. Mr. Sutton died 13 years ago, and his widow has since lived in Victoria Park.
The spirit of adventure has appeared in the descendants of these early pioneers, for Mrs. Sutton’s youngest daughter, Janie, gained notoriety when she qualified for her pilot’s licence in the days when only a handful of women were interested in aviation.
When the last war began, Miss Sutton was the only West Australian woman holding a pilot’s licence and although she was keen to use her ability and qualifications in the air force, she had to be content with serving as a wireless operator in the W.A.A.A.F.
Mrs. Sutton had three children—all girls—and today her life is a very quiet one. She is con-tent to recall the interesting people she met in the early days of the State, or those she has heard her parents speak of.
Lovers of arum lilies who have noticed their prolific growth in certain parts of the Gosnells district will be interested to know that her grandfather, John Okey Davis, brought them to that area from England and found that they thrived there.
(Western Mail, 21 April 1949.)