Thomas Magarey

Thomas Magarey (25 February 1825 – 31 August 1902) was an Irish-born miller and pastoralist who, with his brother James, migrated to Nelson, New Zealand in 1842 (aged 17), and to Adelaide, South Australia in 1845 (aged 20). He was also one of the Members of the South Australian House of Assembly, 1860–1862 for West Torrens, and one of the South Australian Legislative Council 1865-1867. He was also intensely religious, setting up the first Church of Christ in Australia by 1849, and later joined the Plymouth Brethren, being interested in their writings since 1873.

Magarey was born in County Down, Ireland. He married Elizabeth Verco on 13 March 1848, first living at Noarlunga, then moving to Hindmarsh in 1849 where, with his brother James, he had bought the Hindmarsh flour-mill from John Ridley. In the 1850s he moved to Enfield, South Australia. Elizabeth and Thomas had 10 children and many grandchildren. In 1880 he joined the Plymouth Brethren, leaving the Church of Christ. He was very public spirited "At quite an early stage of his life he had embarked on a project of acquiring blocks of land in the country, and renting them reasonable to struggling farmers, to whom he would give the right of purchase. Over the years he had the satisfaction of seeing a number of poor men become comparatively well-off landowners through their application and industry". In 1876 TM also contributed "100 guineas(guinea= £1/1)" to help found the Adelaide Children’s Hospital. In 1890 TM gave a Fire Engine to the Hindmarsh Volunteer Fire Brigade(Presented on 9 November 1890). He died at his farm at Enfield on 31 August 1902.

Thomas Magarey married Elizabeth Verco (c. 1825 – 4 July 1920) on 13 March 1848.

His brother James Magarey (ca.1818 – 11 August 1859) ran Gannawarra Station on Gunbower Creek (a tributary of the River Murray), later owned a flour mill in Hindmarsh, South Australia, then moved to "Laurel Bank Villa", Geelong, Victoria. He drowned following the wreck of the SS Admella. His son, William James Magarey (1840 – 15 December 1920), worked on the station, moved to Geelong with his father; owned flour mills at Hindmarsh and Port Pirie, and sat in the House of Assembly seat of West Torrens from April 1878 to March 1881.

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