Margaret Forrest
Encyclopedia
John Forrest
Sir John Forrest GCMG was an Australian explorer, the first Premier of Western Australia and a cabinet minister in Australia's first federal parliament....
. Born in Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, she was a member of the prominent and wealthy Hamersley family
Hamersley family
The Hamersley family were a wealthy and well-connected family of early settlers in the colony of Western Australia. Members of the Hamersley family emigrated to Western Australia from England in 1837.Prominent members and connections of the family include:...
; her father was Edward Hamersley
Edward Hamersley (Snr)
Edward Hamersley was an early settler in colonial Western Australia. He became a successful and wealthy pastoralist, and a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council. The Hamersley family became one of the most prominent families in the colony.Edward Hamersley was born at Sandgate,...
(Senior), and amongst her brothers were Edward Hamersley
Edward Hamersley (Jnr)
Edward Hamersley was a Western Australian pastoralist, and a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for nearly ten years....
(Junior) and Samuel Hamersley
Samuel Hamersley
Samuel Richard Hamersley was a Western Australian pastoralist, and a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for six years....
. She married Forrest in 1876 and enjoyed many years in public life, as John Forrest became the first Premier of Western Australia
Premier of Western Australia
The Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...
, and later a federal politician. Their family homestead was called Wilberforce.
Both Margaret River
Margaret River (Kimberley region, Western Australia)
The Margaret River is a river in the Kimberley of Western Australia.The headwaters of the river rise in the King Leopold Range West of Halls Creek and flows in a westerly until it merges with the Fitzroy River of which it is a tributary...
and Elvire River
Elvire River
Elvire River is a river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.The river rises North of Halls Creek below Mount Barrett and it flows in an easterly direction before turning north and discharging into the Panton River which is, in turn, a tributary of the Ord River.The first European to see...
in the Western Australian Kimberley region were named after her.
Lady Forrest had a great interest in fine arts. She was a founding member of the Wilgie Club, which was possibly the first artists' society in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, and in 1896 became also a founding member of the West Australian Society of Arts. She also had an interest in native plants, and was an accomplished painter of wildflowers. After her death in 1929, her collection was bequeathed to the Art Gallery of Western Australia
Art Gallery of Western Australia
The Art Gallery of Western Australia is a public gallery that is part of the Perth Cultural Centre, in Perth, Western Australia. It is located near the Western Australian Museum and State Library of Western Australia...
.
Ellis Rowan
Ellis Rowan
Marian Ellis Rowan , known as Ellis Rowan, was a well-known Australian botanical illustrator. She also did series of illustrations on birds, butterflies and insects....
visited Western Australia a number of times during her life. In September 1889 she joined Margaret Forrest in a painting tour. At Boolantha Station, north of Carnarvon
Carnarvon, Western Australia
Carnarvon is a coastal town situated approximately 900 kilometres north of Perth, Western Australia. It lies at the mouth of the Gascoyne River on the Indian Ocean. The popular Shark Bay world heritage area lies to the south of the town and the Ningaloo Reef lies to the north...
and Geraldton, they painted desert flowers. Their joint exhibition at the Railway Station Reading Room in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
on 5 November is thought to have been the first art exhibition ever held in the colony.