Obituaries Australia

The many friends of Mr. M.C. [Mervin Corry] Richardson Bunbury will regret to hear that he passed away on Thursday, Jan. 13, at his private house in Bulwèr-street, North Perth, after a prolonged illness. The greater part of his life, about 30 years, was spent as a squatter in the Gascoyne district, where he was one of the early pioneers. He was born in the Vasse district on Christmas Day, 1859, and was educated at St. Peter's College, Adelaide. Upon his return from school he had some experience of station life in the south West, and in the year 1880 elected to carry on similar operations in the Gascoyne district. He accordingly took up land along the Minilya River, and founded the Williambury Station. His life there was an arduous, not to say a dangerous one, but his qualities of pluck, endurance, and managing ability pulled him through. At one time in the early days all the station work was done by natives, one of whom was a South-West aboriginal that Mr. Bunbury had taken up with him. Some trouble occurred with the natives, and with the exception of the one faithful native from the South-west they all left him to carry on by himself. At one time Mr. Bunbury owned one of the finest Devon herds in the State, but had latterly gone in almost exclusively for sheep. He was also a racehorse owner, his principal acquisition in that respect being The Brewer, who, as a two-year-old, figured very prominently in Victoria. About 13 years ago Mr. Bunbury married Miss Prees, of Busselton, who survives him. There is no family.