William Richard Randell "Captain Randell" (2? 27? May 1824 – 4 March 1911), was an Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n politician and pioneer born in Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, who emigrated to the newly-founded colony of South Australia

South Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

 in 1837 with his family. He was a pioneer of the riverboat industry on the River Murray and represented the Electoral district of Gumeracha in the South Australian House of Assembly

South Australian House of Assembly

The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...

 between 1893-1899.

Early Years and Family

Born the eldest son of William Beavis Randell (1799 – 1876), a miller of Sidbury, Devon, and Mary Ann Elliott Randell (née Beare) (1799 – 22 December 1872), William was educated in Exeter

Exeter

Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...

. The family emigrated to Adelaide

Adelaide

Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...

 in 1837 on the "Hartley", probably on the recommendation of family friend George Fife Angas

George Fife Angas

George Fife Angas was an English businessman and banker who, from England, played a significant part in the formation and establishment of the Colony of South Australia. He established the South Australian Company and was its founding chairman of the board of directors...

, arriving at Holdfast Bay

Glenelg, South Australia

Glenelg is a popular beach-side suburb of the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Located on the shore of Holdfast Bay in Gulf St Vincent, it has become a popular tourist destination due to its beach and many attractions, home to several hotels and dozens of restaurants.Established in 1836, it is...

 on 20 October 1837. His father was appointed as Stock Manager for the South Australian Company, and was to have overseen erection and operation of its steam-driven flour mill, but though the mill machinery and building materials arrived shortly after the "Hartley", it was stranded on Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is southwest of Adelaide at the entrance of Gulf St Vincent. Its closest point to the mainland is off Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia. The island is long...

 and did not arrive on the mainland for some time. The family first lived in a large tent rented from Robert Gouger

Robert Gouger

Robert Gouger was one of the founders of South Australia and colonial secretary.-Early life:Gouger was the fifth son of nine children of George Gouger , who was a prosperous city merchant, and his wife Anne, née Sibley. Robert was educated at Nottingham, England, and on leaving school he entered...

 then in 1839 moved into "Park Cottage" of 11 rooms on the banks of the Torrens, (demolished ca. 1970) on section 256, the site of the present Adelaide Caravan Park. The mill (1842 – 1872) was built where Hackney Hotel is now. In 1840 W. B. Randell purchased 566 acres as a "Special Survey", then another tranche, totalling 966 acres which he called "Kenton Park" (probably named for Kenton, Devon

Kenton, Devon

Kenton is a small village located near Exeter, the capital of Devon, England.Kenton is known for its mediæval castle, Powderham Castle, where the Earl of Devon once settled in. Powderham Castle was built between 1390 and 1420 by Sir Philip Courtenay...

). He completed a home in 1844, and "Kenton Mill" which commenced operation in 1848, with William Richard Randell its first manager. In 1852 he laid out the town of Gumeracha

Gumeracha, South Australia

Gumeracha is a town near Adelaide, South Australia, located on the Adelaide-Mannum Road. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area. At the 2006 census, Gumeracha had a population of 731.-History:...

 above the flood level of Kenton Creek.

William Beavis Randell (originally "Randle") m. Mary Ann Elliott Beare (or Bear) (1799 – 1872). They had 9 children:

William Richard Randell (1824 – 1911)

Thomas George Randell (ca.1826 – 14 May 1880) m. ?? (ca.1828 – 16 April 1870) on ??

Hannah Elliott Randell (1827 – 1930) m. Alfred Swaine

John Beavis Randell (1829 – 24 March 1876) m. Anne

Elliott Charles Randell (ca. 1832 – 29 April 1908)

Samuel Randell (ca. 1833 – 30 November 1901) m. Elizabeth (ca.1830 – 23 January 1892)

Francis Henry Randell (ca. 1835 – 25 December 1899) m. Sarah Ann Nickels on 7 March 1861

Ebenezer Hartley Randell (ca. 1839 – 1890) married Ada Caroline Farmer on 25 December 1867

Elizabeth Beavis Randell (1840 – 1855) died of smallpox

William Beavis Randell m. Phebe Robbins (1838 – 1922)

John Beavis Randell, jnr. (1877 – 1953)

The "Mary Ann"

As well as his mill management duties, William Randell assisted his father and brothers with their vast property which stretched from present-day Gumeracha to the River Murray. His duties often involved droving cattle to the banks of the lower Murray, and dreamt of steam-boats being able to transport produce between South Australia and the neighbouring colony of Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

. At the time South Australia was struggling to retain its population due to emigration to the Victorian goldfields.

In 1852, with no experience in the steamboat construction, Randell commissioned local carpenters to build the frame of a 55 feet (16.8 m), 9 feet (2.7 m) paddlewheel boat of shallow draught, capacity 20 ton in Gumeracha. It was dismantled, taken by bullock cart across the plains to Reedy Creek Station and the Noa No landing about 2 miles north of the present Mannum

Mannum, South Australia

Mannum is an historic town on the west bank of the Murray River in South Australia, east of Adelaide. At the 2006 census, Mannum had a population of 2,042. Mannum headquarters the Mid Murray Council, and is situated in both the State Electoral District of Schubert and the federal Division of...

. There it was rebuilt, clad in local redgum. Named the Mary Ann, after his mother, the steamer featured a 10 inches (254 mm) cylinder beam-engine delivering 8 horsepower, made by a German engineer from Adelaide, Carl Gehlkin. The boiler was an unsatisfactory rectangular affair built by the Randells' blacksmith. Its first trip, of 24 miles, was made on 19 February 1853. On 4 March she arrived at Goolwa for her first official voyage and received in grand style by the lieutenant-governor Sir Henry Young

Henry Young

Sir Henry Edward Fox Young, KCMG was the fifth Governor of South Australia, serving in that role from 2 August 1848 until 20 December 1854. He was then the first Governor of Tasmania, from 1855 until 1861.-Early life:...

 and hundreds of others. He set off on the return trip that afternoon. On 25 March 1853 he had navigated to Penn's Reach, a few miles north of Morgan

Morgan, South Australia

Morgan is a town in South Australia on the right bank of the Murray River, just downstream of where it turns from flowing roughly westwards to roughly southwards. It is about north east of Adelaide, and about upstream of the Murray Mouth. At the 2006 census, Morgan had a population of 426.The...

, when low water levels forced him to return. The following year he reached Swan Hill

Swan Hill, Victoria

Swan Hill is a city in the northwest of Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Murray Valley Highway, on the south bank of the Murray River, downstream from the junction of the Loddon River. At the 2006 census, Swan Hill had a population of 9,684.-History:...

, 1000 miles (1600 km) from the sea at Goolwa

Goolwa, South Australia

Goolwa is a historic river port on the Murray River near the Murray Mouth in South Australia, and joined by a bridge to Hindmarsh Island. The name "Goolwa" means "elbow" in Ngarrindjeri, the local Aboriginal language....

. Later that year Captain Cadell won the Government's £2000 prize for the first practicable cargo boat Lady Augusta (The £2000 was soon raised to £4000 on Cadell's agreement to build another boat. By the terms of the contest, the "Mary Ann" was never a contender for the prize.)

The Mary Ann was later rebuilt as one half of a two-hulled vessel named Gemini.

Expansion

Randell abandoned Noa No as too subject to flooding and built a small "pug and pine" cottage, the start of the town of Mannum

Mannum, South Australia

Mannum is an historic town on the west bank of the Murray River in South Australia, east of Adelaide. At the 2006 census, Mannum had a population of 2,042. Mannum headquarters the Mid Murray Council, and is situated in both the State Electoral District of Schubert and the federal Division of...

, and a dry-dock.

His second boat, the twin-hulled single paddle-wheel "Gemini", despite its small size and ungainly appearance, managed some feats of navigation into New South Wales. She reached Lang's Crossing (where Hay

Hay, New South Wales

Hay is a town in the western Riverina region of south western New South Wales , Australia.  It is the administrative centre of Hay Shire Local Government Area and the centre of a prosperous and productive agricultural district on the wide Hay Plains....

 stands now), then Brewarrina

Brewarrina, New South Wales

Brewarrina is a small town in North West New South Wales, Australia on the banks of the Barwon River in Brewarrina Shire. It is 98 km east of Bourke and west of Walgett on the Kamilaroi Highway, and 808 km from Sydney. Brewarrina has had its population decrease from 1,197 persons in...

 in 1859, and on another occasion as far as Walgett

Walgett, New South Wales

Walgett is a town in North-West New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Walgett Shire. It is at the junction of the Barwon and Namoi rivers and near the junction of the Kamilaroi and Castlereagh Highways...

.

Randell built many more steamers: "Bogan", "Bunyip" (destroyed by fire in 1863, along with its barges), "Ariel", "Nil Desperandum", "Corowa", "Waragery", "Tyro", and "Ruby". Wentworth

Wentworth, New South Wales

Wentworth is a small border town in the far south west of the state of New South Wales, Australia. It lies at the confluence of Australia's two most important rivers, the Darling and the Murray, the latter forming the border with the state of Victoria to the south. The border with the state of...

, New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

 was Randell's base for two decades until the 1870s, as he supervised the expansion of his fleet and the burgeoning of trade on the Murray-Darling.

He built a residence "Bleak House", a floating dock, wharf and warehouse at Mannum. At its peak around 1860, there would be 20,000 bales of wool unloaded at Mannum and driven by horse teams to Port Adelaide.

He served as a Justice of the Peace

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

 from 1861 in New South Wales, and from 1873 in South Australia. With the death of his father in 1876, Randell returned to Gumeracha and had little more to do with the river trade.

Politics and Last Days

Randell represented Gumeracha in the House of Assembly from 1893 to 1899; while the oldest member of the house he regularly made the trip between his constituency and Parliament House

Parliament House, Adelaide

Parliament House, on the corner of North Terrace and King William Road in Adelaide city centre, is the seat of the Parliament of South Australia. It was built to replace the adjacent and overcrowded Parliament House, now referred to as "Old Parliament House"...

 in Adelaide.

Randell moved to North Adelaide

North Adelaide

North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands.-History:...

in 1910 and died on 4 March 1911. He was survived by five sons and four daughters.

Family

William Randell married Elizabeth Ann "Annie" Nickels (1835 – 16?17? October 1924) on 24 December 1853.

son born 17 January 1855, presumably died in infancy

Capt. William Beavis Randell (1 June 1856 – 19 September 1917) m. Hannah Finlayson (1854 – 1928)

He was a famous motor-cyclist who held a world record in 1914.

Elizabeth Hannah Randell (14 June 1858 – 1 December 1940) m. George Frank Bradley

Mary Ann Randell (28 January 1860 – 17 February 1931) m. Edward Kelly

Sarah Hamlin Randell (1862 – 14 August 1902) m. Rev. Robert Taylor on 15 January 1891

Richard Murray Randell (2 February 1863 – 6 March 1952) m. Anne Florence McKirdy

Wentworth Neilpo Randell (1865 – 26 January 1866)

James Percy Randell (22 April 1867 – 4 January 1914) m. (Violet Sarah) Rose Bock

Rosemund Randell (13 October 1868 – 16 May 1896) m. Roland Thomas Mahnke

Albert Wentworth Randell (18 September 1870 – 3 October 1923)

Mabel Daisy Darling Randell (15 August 1872 – 7 September 1937) m. Dr. Edward Kinmont of Mannum 15 November 1894

Millicent Beatrice Swaine Randell (1875 – 3 August 1926) m. William Bolitho White on 9 August 1900

John Beavis Randell (10 February 1877 – 19 March 1953) m. Ella Alice (ca.1876 – 24 April 1943)

Alfred Swaine Randell (ca.1879 – 7 April 1953) m. Olive Marion Wicksteed on 7 October 1908

• Note that a great number of sources, both contemporary and modern, refer to him incorrectly as Captain Randall.

Sources

• Peter J Reilly, William Richard Randell. Accessed 10 October 2008.
• Australian Dictionary of Biography, William Richard Randell. Accessed 17 September 2006.
• http://www.psmarion.com/html/william_randell.html

External links

• http://www.shnps.vic.edu.au/oldsite/swanhillhistory/p_s__mary_ann.htm