Rod Quin and Associates
A site for stories about Western Australia's past
Uncover the Past
When Robert Quin emerged from a Scots church with his 17-year-oldbride, Margaret, in 1847, he was two years into his career as a surveyor. Recently promoted, he was working on a detailed survey of Great Britain and would not have envisaged a life too far beyond the limits of his charts.
In 1863, the Quins' lives changed forever when Robert accepted the position of Assistant Surveyor in Western Australia. Working under Surveyors General John Septimus Roe, Malcolm Fraser and John Forrest, Robert spent 23 years mapping the coast, topography and land grants of the fledgling colony.
He carried on through heartbreak and ill-health in the face of bureaucratic indifference, leaving a legacy that underpins maps still in use today.
In this meticulously researched biography Robert and Margaret's great-great-grandson lays bare an important Western Australian story.
Length: 148 pages
Price $37.99
'among the finest family histories produced in this country', Peter Forrestal, Western Ancestor, July 2024
Thomas Campbell Carey arrived in Western Australia as a qualified surveyor in 1862. Born in Donegal, Ireland, he had been recruited by the colony's Surveyor-General, John Septimus Roe, who initially assigned him to the mapping of locations around Perth.
It was in Bunbury, however, that Carey made his home. He mentored the young John Forrest and, despite being plagued by illness, represented the seat of Vasse in the Legislative Council with distinction.
In colonial Australia, Carey stands out as a progressive on the vast majority of issues. He was a man unintimidated by status or reputation, worthy of remembrance for holding to account the social and political establishment of his time.
Length: 134 pages
Price $27.99