Sunday Times (Sydney, NSW : 1895 - 1930), Sunday 9 December 1923, page 13


OLD FAMILIES OF NEW SOUTH WALES

sup man His Place in History bruh

Sir, — My attention has been directed to an article which appeared in your Issue of Sunday, November 18, under the heading of Governor King's Family, in which Mr. J. Lethbridge King states that I omitted in two articles which were published on last Anniversary Day, to include the name of Governor King In the list of the seven officers of the

First Fleet, who remained permanently In Sydney, and whose descendants are livins in Sydney to-day. The first of the two articles Mr. J. L. King refers to was published in the Sun, and was entitled, The Men Who Founded Sydney, and I gave tho names of Lieut. George Johnston, A.D.C. of the Marines. Surgeon William Balmain, R.N., of H.K.S. Alexander. Lieut. Henry Waterhouse, R.N., ol H.M.S. Slrius. Purser John Palmer, R.N., of H.M.S. Sirius. Surgeon Thomas Jamleson, R.N., of H.M.S.. Sirius. Assistant- Surgeon Thomas Arndell, of the transport, Friendship. Purser William Broughton, as being the seven officers of the First Fleet who remained permanently dn Sydney. I did not include Lieut. Phillip Gidley King, who came out in the First Fleet as Second Lieutenant of H.M.S. Sirius, or Captain David Collins, of the Marines, who, like Lieut. King, was one of the most distinguished and important officers of the First Fleet, simply because I was dealing only with officers who remaine'd in Sydney permanently. Lieut. King did not remain in Sydney more than three weeks after the first landing on January 26, as he was sent by Governor Phillip in the Supply on February 14, 1788, to Norfolk Island, where he remained till 1796, and then returned to England via Sydney, and returned as Governor in April, 1800, to February, 1807, and died in England1 in 1808. From the above it will be seen that from 1788 to 1808 Governor King, except for several visits, spent seven years in Sydney, and only three weeks before

going to Norfolk Island, where his son, BfterwardB Admiral Parker King was born. While I yield to none in my admiration of Governor King's many fine qualities, and the deservedly honored place his descendants hold amongst tho great pioneer families of New South Wales, I do not consider that Governor King has any claim to be included as one of the officer founders of Sydney, who remained permanently, and whoso families have maintained an unbroken connection to the present day, and which the King family did not. The name of Captain David Collins, the First Judge Advocate, was omitted for the samo leason, though in his case he certainly does deserve to be considered as one of the founders of Sydney, as he remained or some years in Sydney, but he left no direct descendants in Sydney, and he himself, of course, did not remain there permanently. He was Governor of Tasmania from 1804 to tho time of his death in 1810. I also omitted the name of William Lee, who came out in the First Fleet in the Marines because I was dealing only with officers of the First Fleet. Lee remained permanently, and there Is no more honored or better-known pioneer family than the Lees, of Bathurst. I trust that I have made It clear that, Inasmuch as I was dealing only with officers of the First Fleet who remained permanently, and -whose descendants have maintained an unbroken connection with Sydney, I correctly omitted the names of Governor King and Governor Collins, of Tasmania. -Yours truly, P. HOPE JOHNSTON.