John Drummond (Australian settler)

John Nicol Drummond (1816–1906) was an early settler in Western Australia. He became the colony's first Inspector of Native Police, and helped to explore the Champion Bay district before becoming one of the district's pioneer pastoralists.

The fourth child of botanist James Drummond, John Drummond was born in County Cork in 1816. Among his brothers were James, who would become a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council; and Johnston, who became a respected botanical collector. An uncle, Thomas, had accompanied Sir John Franklin in his explorations into the Northwest Territories of Canada 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 on 1 June. John Drummond would have spent much of his youth helping with the family farm at Toodyay. As he grew older, he spent more and more time with the local indigenous Australians of the area, going on long hunting expeditions that took him away from home for many weeks at a time. In 1839 he caused a scandal in the colony when it became widely known that he been "lent" a wife by the local tribe.

Late in 1839, a woman and her baby were murdered by natives near York, and Governor Hutt responded by establishing a special police force known as the Native Police. As a man well known and widely respected by the local tribes, and familiar with indigenous language and customs, John Drummond was appointed the colony's first Inspector of Native Police. He made regular patrols of the Avon Valley district, and continued to attend corroborees and tribal gatherings. He became a valued tracker and negotiator, and earned the respect of both colonists and natives.

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