TUMUT PLAINS
"James Hannibel Rose"
Records show that James Hannibel ROSE held the property then known as "BEEN" Station as early as 1829. In fact it was referred to in the Captain Charles Sturt report.
It is reported that in 1830 the current Governor promised Rose a grant of 1280 acres at "Been" - ~ Aboriginal name for "Goobragandra River" ~ It shows that the Deeds were eventually granted on the 29th June, 1839. And actually is the one and only Free Grant issued in the Tumut Valley.
The Grant Read As Follows - "James Hannibel Rose" - Crown Grant - County unnamed - 1280 acres, Parish unnamed, at Tumut. Commencing at a marked Box Tree on the Goobragandra River and bound on the east by a line bearing 176 chains, on the south by a line bearing 72 chains to the Tumut River, on the west by that /
BENNETT, GEORGE (1804-1893), medical practitioner and naturalist, was born on 31 January 1804 at Plymouth, England. He was strongly attracted by the sea, and at 15 undertook the first of his many voyages. Returning to England in 1821, he studied first at Plymouth and then at the Middlesex Hospital and the Hunterian School of Medicine, where he came under the influence of such notable men as Charles Bell, Herbert Mayo and Caesar Hawkins. On 7 March 1828 he obtained his diploma of membership of the Royal College of Surgeons, and meanwhile had made the acquaintance of Richard Owen, then a lecturer in comparative anatomy in the medical school attached to St Bartholomew's Hospital. Owen was the chief British comparative anatomist of his period, and his influence, particularly in respect of palaeontology, was felt by Bennett during the whole of his career in Australia.
Wanderings by Bennett from 1828 to 1835 embraced a wide area of the Pacific, and when he returned to England from one voyage in 1831, he brought with him a large collection of plants, as well as a live Ungka ape from Singapore and a young native girl named Elau from the New Hebrides; the girl, who had been rescued when about to be sacrificed by a hostile tribe, died at Plymouth in 1834. Numerous papers on natural history were written by Bennett as a result of his journeys; they included, in particular, discussions of plants, a description of the living animal of the pearly nautilus, and remarks on certain elements in the fauna of Australia, and these writings were responsible for his election as a fellow of the Linnean Society of London and a corresponding member of the Zoological Society.
Bennett had first visited Australia in 1829. He did so again in 1832, arriving in spring and becoming immediately impressed by 'the beauties of the Kingdom of Flora which are lavished so profusely in this colony'. Travels inland followed, and so keen was his work, notably on the platypus, then not definitely proved to be oviparous, that he was able to send Owen many specimens of extant fauna and a considerable number of fossils. He then published Wanderings in New South Wales … Being the Journal of a Naturalist, vols 1-2 (London, 1834), a work of merit for its good writing and generally sound observation; his only serious slip was in regard to the nesting habits of the lyrebird, upon which he was apparently misled by Aboriginals.
Back in England, Bennett received a signal honour by being awarded the honorary gold medal of the Royal College of Surgeons in recognition of his contributions to zoological science. He returned again to Australia in 1836, and this time he remained, developing a successful medical practice in Sydney and becoming a leading figure in the newly established Australian Museum, the Acclimatization Society and the Zoological Society; his association with the museum, of which he was the first secretary, extended over many years, and in old documents of the institution he is referred to, variously, as 'Director', 'Superintendent' and 'Zoologist'. Meanwhile he assisted visiting zoologists, acted as agent for the birdman, John Gould, maintained a steady correspondence with Owen and others, and assembled material for a second book; this work, broad in scope and informative, was published in 1860 under the title Gatherings of a Naturalist in Australasia. In 1890, at the age of 86, he was awarded the Clarke memorial medal by the Royal Society of New South Wales.
Bennett died in Sydney on 29 September 1893, leaving an impressive record, emphasized by the numbers of plants and animals that bear his name, as 'the greatest of the physician-naturalists of Australia'. He had married three times. By the first marriage there were two sons and three daughters, by the second a son, and by the third, to Sarah Adcock, two children who died in infancy. A large library which he left was unfortunately rejected by the University of Sydney when offered for £2000, and was sold by public auction.
Select Bibliography
V. M. Coppleson, ‘The Life and Times of Dr. George Bennett’, Medical Journal of Australia, 20 Aug 1955, pp 273-78.
Author: A. H. Chisholm
Print Publication Details: A. H. Chisholm, 'Bennett, George (1804 - 1893)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 1, Melbourne University Press, 1966, pp 85-86
Mr Rose later transferred that grant in the same year to Mr George SHELLEY and in fact sold ALL his local Runs in the area to Mr Shelley.- (Ref- page 45 of 1829-1839 of Rhonda McDonald's notes)
Crown land is land that is owned and managed by State Government. It accounts for over half of all land in New South Wales and includes: Crown lands held under lease, licence or permit; community managed reserves; lands retained in public ownership for environmental purposes; lands within the Crown public roads network; and other unallocated lands. Many non-tidal waterways across the State also comprise Crown land as does most tidal waterway land.
Crown lands managed by the Department of Lands (Lands) should not be confused with other forms of Crown or State owned lands such as National Parks, State Forests, State Rail property etc.
Crown land history in New South Wales European land settlement commenced in 1788 when Governor Phillip claimed possession of the land for a penal colony on behalf of the British Government. All lands were vested in the name of the Crown, thus the name Crown lands. The Surveyor General's office was established soon after to administer these lands.
From 1791 to 1831 Governor Phillip, and later Governor Macquarie, issued free grants of land on behalf of the Crown to encourage and advance settlement of the State. Evidence of ownership of these land grants was provided by a document known as a Crown grant.
Through time, the economic, social and environmental needs of land management for the State has been reflected in continuing legislative amendments. In 1825 the system of selling land was introduced, leading to the abolition of free grants for Crown land in 1831. After 1831 land was only sold at public auction and the Governor's discretionary power of refusing applications for land ownership was abolished.
The Department of Lands and Public Works was formed in 1856 to cater for the expanding functions of the Surveyor General's office. In 1859 the Department of Lands became a separate entity.
The Robertson Act 1861 (NSW) made free selection of Crown land possible for anyone. The Crown Lands Alienation Act 1861 (NSW) dealt with the sale of land and the Crown Lands Occupation Act 1861 (NSW) dealt with leasing. The Occupation Act permitted any person to select up to 320 acres of land and purchase the freehold (with the exception of urban land). Prior to this powerful squatters had managed to acquire vast amounts of the colony's prime land through initially illicit occupation. The Occupation Act opened up these squatter held lands for selection by anyone in the colony. The Alienation Act allowed the sale of town and suburban land by public auction.
The Crown Land Acts 1884 (NSW) created a new structure, introducing various new tenures not previously in existence. These tenures included grazing licences, homestead leases, conditional leases, pastoral leases and permits for wharfs and jetties. It was this Act that led to the division of land in NSW into eastern, central and western divisions. Local land boards were introduced in the three divisions in 1886, effectively decentralising Crown land administration.
In 1913 the Crown Lands Consolidation Act was introduced to consolidate all Crown lands legislation to deal with the sale, occupation and management of Crown lands. Current legislation for the administration of State lands is the 1989 Crown Lands Act. This Act was introduced in 1990 to provide a simpler, more streamlined framework for Crown land administration and management. In particular, the current Act reflected increasing community requirements for improved consultation, more appropriate principles for Crown land management, and a more streamlined tenure system. - Ref (http://www.lands.nsw.gov.au/land_titles/land_ownership/crown_land)