John McKail
| John McKail | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia |
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In office 18 October 1870 – 4 April 1871 |
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| Preceded by | None (new seat) |
| Succeeded by | Albert Hassell |
| Constituency | Albany |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
22 January 1810 Deptford, Kent, England |
| Died | 6 August 1871 (aged 61) Albany, Western Australia, Australia |
John McKail (22 January 1810 – 6 August 1871) was an early settler of Western Australia. He was among the first arrivals in the Swan River Colony in 1829, but in 1835 was banished to Albany after trouble with the law. In Albany, he set up as a merchant and subsequently developed interests in a number of fields. He owned hotels, invested in whaling, and exported sandalwood to Asia. McKail served in the Legislative Council from 1870 to 1871, as one of the council's first elected members.
McKail was born in Deptford, Kent, England, and was descended from an old Scottish Covenanter family. His father, Nathaniel, was a naval architect at Deptford Dockyard, and had intended for his son to take up the same profession. That did not eventuate, however, as at the age of 19, McKail secured a place on board Parmelia, the ship carrying the first British settlers (including the new governor, James Stirling) to the Swan River Colony. His father was an acquaintance of the Mangles family, of which Stirling's wife was a member.
After arriving in the new colony, McKail and a friend initially camped out on Mount Eliza, overlooking the Perth townsite. He worked as a carpenter, helping with the construction of various government buildings. McKail was in trouble with the law on several occasions in the early 1830s, and was eventually banished from Perth. He was charged with "riotous behaviour" in 1833, and in May 1835 was charged with the manslaughter of Gogalee, the son of Yellagonga (a local Noongar leader). McKail reputedly confessed to shooting Gogalee, but because the circumstances were disputed the colonial authorities believed it was unlikely that a jury would convict him. An acquittal would have angered the local Aborigines, so it was decided that, instead of a trial, McKail would pay blood money to Gogalee's family, and then be expelled from the area.
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