A Nor-West Pioneer
| Title: | A Nor-West Pioneer |
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| Identifier: | archives.org.au/A_Nor-West_Pioneer |
| Parent item: | |
| Storage location: | NLA |
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| Authors: | |
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| License: | |
| Related people: | William Shakespeare Hall |
| Related places: | Cossack • Roebourne |
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| Description: |
- The West Australian, p. 5.
- Trove URL: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4549588
The Northern Public Opinion article is this one: Death of Mr William Shakespeare Hall.
Transcription
A NOR’-WEST PIONEER
THE LATE MR WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE HALL
A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
We are indebted to the Roebourne paper, 'Northern Public Opinion', for the following biographical sketch of the late Mr. William Shakespeare Hall, one of the pioneers of the north-west. The sketch will no doubt be read with interest by many West Australians whose memory carries them back to the "old days".
William Shakespeare Hall, writes our contemporary, was the second son of Henry Edward Hall, firstly of Shakerston Manor, and Newton, Burgolands Leicestershire, England, and afterwards of Mandurah, West Australia. He was born in London in December 1825. His father, having disposed of his life-interest in his property about the time Governor Stirling landing at Swan River, proceeded with his wife and family to Western Australia, where they landed among some of the earliest colonists in 1829, the year of the colony's foundation. Mr. Hall senior, brought a 25 ton cutter in the barque he was a passenger by, which, upon his arrival served him in cruising along the coast to explore the seaboard country. Eventually he settled at Mandurah, on the Murray River, and about 30 miles from Fremantle, where he commenced farming. Some time after his cutter was wrecked, whereupon he migrated with his family to Perth. Here William Shakespeare Hall, the subject of our biographical sketch, commenced his education under Mr. Wittenoom, the first Colonial Chaplain. Mr. Hall, snr, then went to the old country and joined his eldest son, who at the time was of age. They finally severed their connection with the mother country by cutting off the entail to the property, disposing of it entirely and returning to the colony. Wongong farm was purchased, and there W.S. Hall learnt farming. Arriving at the age of manhood about the time of the famous gold discoveries in Victoria, he could do no better, so he thought, than leave his Father's home and seek his fortune among the eager throngs hurrying in the race for gold. He followed gold-digging in Bendigo and elsewhere with fluctuating fortune for eight years, and then returned to West Australia. He entered into an engagement with the Government to prospect for gold in the vicinity of the Swan, but the project had no looked for results.
About this time he accomplished the then unheard-of-feat of travelling overland to Champion Bay, single-handed, which was deemed a feat of great daring. A party was now being formed under the leadership of Mr. F. Gregory to explore the Terra incognita of the north, and this he joined. The expedition did some twelve months' travelling by land and sea, during which they endured many hardships and dangers, but rendered signal service to the colony. After this, he returned to the occupation of his youth; but he had not long settled down to it when Mr. John Wellard, of the Serpentine, prevailed upon him to leave it and come north and open a station for him. They landed the sheep on the north beach, Cossack, some six weeks behind a like-constituted party of Mr. Padbury's, which did not stay here, but pushed across to De Grey. Mr. Hall travelled his stock up to what is now known as Andover and there commenced the first station in that district. He remained there a little short of two years, having thoroughly established the station, and tamed the natives without bloodshed, amongst whom was the native chief known as King Mulangon. He threw up the management on account of ill-health and the solitude, there being very few people about the district until the Denison Plains Company came, some years later.
Returning to the Swan, he went farming some of the land his father had allotted him in 1829, but being offered the vacant managership of the Roebuck Bay Company, he was on the move again. Here he was appointed a justice of the peace, and what with troopers and pensioners (provided by the Government to guard the station), he had quite a little colony under him. The country proved useless for sheep and he was ordered to shift bag, baggage and stock to Roebourne. The vessel made two trips, on the second of which she was wrecked on what was afterward called Perseverance Rocks, that being the stock boat's name. She was not greatly damaged, so the stock were not drowned, and at the low water tide every animal was walked ashore safely. Finally he was instructed to break up the concern, the men being all paid off and shipped in the first boat sent, the ill-fated schooner Emma, which was lost with all hands, comprising forty souls. Mr. Hall luckily stayed behind, and took up runs for himself, and after getting things well settled down, made various short exploration trips inland in company with that well-known pioneer, Mr. John Withnell, and others.
Shortly after this, having had a difference with the then Colonial Secretary, he resigned his justiceship. The letter containing the resignation went down in the schooner Emma before mentioned, so it is hard to say whether he was or was not a justice of the peace at the time of his death.
He then went south and married Miss Hannah Lazenby, the daughter of a well known old colonist and returned North. Relinquishing the idea of squatting, he started business as a general store-keeper. Not being successfull in this, and the pearling being now developed, he embarked in that industry with Malays, the venture proving fairly successfull, Throwing this up, he went ashore again, and with a partner started pearl buying. This proved most lucrative, but a sudden drop in prices discouraged him and his partner and they decided to dissolve, Mr. Hall again turning his attention and energies to business; but having no proper training, they were not successfully applied, and he determined to quit the mercantile sphere for good. He went in for pearling with natives, and worked his boats off and on for several years with varying luck; but losing two boats at different times in hurricanes, the second nearly costing him his life, he became discouraged and came on shore to mend his broken fortunes in the employ of an old friend.
As years began to advance on him he retired from active employment. He was made a councillor at the port, and was twice raised to the civic honour of Chairman of the Town Council, which position he held at the time of his death. He always took a keen interest in public affairs, especially those connected with the North, and was a bold and fearless advocate of the need of separation from the south.
To hark back to the time when Gregory's expedition party were on board the Dolphin in Nicol Bay, the crew used to go on the reefs and find M.O.P. shells, which they would search for pearls and then throw them away. Mr. Hall told the sailors they were throwing away half-crowns, and so they saved them. When the vessel reached Fremantle, a local merchant bought all the shell they had at a good price and shipped them to London; and thereout the pearling industry took its footing. Therefore it may be said that he gave the incentive to pearling, for it was certainly the first move towards its inception.
For a long time Mr. Hall's heart had been seriously affected, but he would not nurse himself in any way; he had been a man of prodigious strength in his prime, and could not realise its decline with the advance of old age. Early in the evening of his death some of the family noticed him looking pale, although he seemed quite in his usual spirits. And now lies in the silent tomb in a hallowed spot of the Cossack Cemetery the mortal remains of the father of the district, the model of intrepidity, integrity and honour, an honoured husband, revered father, and true friend, and unquestionably the most esteemed personage who has ever associated himself with the North.
