- Johnston Drummond
Johnston Drummond (1820–
13 July 1845 ) was an early settler ofWestern Australia who became a respected botanical and zoological collector.The son of
botanist James Drummond, Johnston Drummond was born inCounty Cork ,Ireland in 1820. Among his brothers were James, who would become a Member of theWestern Australian Legislative Council , and John Nicol Drummond, first Inspector of theNative Police . An uncle, Thomas, accompanied SirJohn Franklin in his explorations into theNorthwest Territories ofCanada in 1819-22.In 1829 the Drummond family emigrated to the
Swan River Colony in what is now Western Australia, arriving on board the "Parmelia" on1 June . Johnston Drummond spent much of his early life helping his father and brothers run their farm at their grant on the Swan River. Later the family relocated to Toodyay, where Johnston was again involved in running the farm.Johnston Drummond developed a taste for botanical and zoological collecting from his father. By the age of fifteen he was making collections of native seeds for sale at
Cape Town , and he also sold a collection of seeds toGeorge Fletcher Moore , who sent them on toJames Mangles . In 1839 he joined his father on a journey up the Salt River, making a collection of bird and mammal skins, and he later sold a collection of bord skins toLudwig Preiss .In 1841, Johnston Drummond joined an expedition in search of good squatting land to the east of their land at Toodyay. The expedition, which included James Drummond Snr and
Samuel Pole Phillips under the command of CaptainJohn Scully , discovered the vast tract of open pastoral land that is now known as the Victoria Plains.Johnston Drummond made a number of other collecting expeditions, accompanying his father and the naturalist John Gilbert on an expedition to the Wongan Hills in early 1842, and later that year making an expedition to the Moore River, during which he collected the first specimen of the
Black Kangaroo Paw , "Macropidia fuliginosa". Over the next two years he made a number of collecting expeditions while engaged as a collector forJohn Gould , including a major expedition toKing George Sound and along the south coast as far as Cape Riche.In 1844, a severe recession placed the Drummond family in severe financial debt, and the family farm was lost. Johnston Drummond and his father began planning to make their entire living from collecting, discussing going to
South Australia orIndia , but nothing came of it.In the winter of 1845, Johnston Drummond discovered that a native named Kabinger had been stealing sheep. He warned Kabinger away from the station, and in response Kabinger threatened to spear him. On
4 July , Johnston Drummond went on a short journey to collect specimens, taking with him a number of natives including Kabinger's wife, with whom Drummond was apparently sleeping. In the middle of the night of13 July , Kabinger appeared and drove two spears through Johnston Drummond's body. Drummond died shortly afterwards. Kabinger slept at the campsite that night, and took his wife away the next morning. He was shot dead by Drummond's brother John a few weeks later.References
*cite book|author=Erickson, Rica|year=1969|title=The Drummonds of Hawthornden|location=Osborne Park, Western Australia|publisher=Lamb Paterson
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