Benjamin Mendes da Costa (17 July 1803 - 26 November 1868) was an English merchant and philanthropist. Da Costa was born in Enfield, London, to Benjamin Mendes da Costa and his second wife, Louisa. Although da Costa's father was a Jew, the children of his second marriage were brought up as members of the Church of England.
In July 1840, da Costa emigrated to the newly settled colony of South Australia, becoming a successful merchant on Hindley Street. He acquired 6 acres (2.4 ha) of land in the city centre, as well as fifteen country sections. He was elected to the committee of the Merchant's Institute, and became good friends with the colonial chaplain, James Farrell, and Bishop Augustus Short. Da Costa left the colony in 1848, returning to London. He died of lung cancer in November 1868.
In his will, da Costa bequeathed his South Australian landholdings to St Peter's College, Adelaide. The estate was subject to the life interests of ten relations; the last died in 1910 upon which time the property was vested in the school. St Peter's has named a hall, a house and a scholarship in his honour. [1]
John Baker was an early South Australian pastoralist and politician. He was the second Premier of the colony of South Australia, succeeding Boyle Travers Finniss; however, he only held office for 12 days from 21 August to 1 September 1857 before being succeeded by the third Premier of the colony, Robert Torrens.
Sir Robert Richard Torrens,, also known as Robert Richard Chute Torrens, was an Irish-born parliamentarian, writer, and land reformer. After a move to London in 1836, he became prominent in the early years of the Colony of South Australia, emigrating after being appointed to a civil service position there in 1840. He was Colonial Treasurer and Registrar-General from 1852 to 1857 and then the third Premier of South Australia for a single month in September 1857.
Margaret Dawson, also known as Margaret Henderson, was a convict sentenced to transportation. She travelled on the Lady Penrhyn as a member of the First Fleet to establish a British colony in Australia. She had a long-term relationship with the surgeon, William Balmain, whose descendants still live in Australia.
Sir Oswald Walters Brierly, was an English marine painter from an old Cheshire family and he was born at Chester.
Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet was a British soldier, Conservative politician and colonial administrator.
Sir Richard Davies Hanson, was the fourth Premier of South Australia, from 30 September 1857 until 8 May 1860, and was a Chief Judge from 20 November 1861 until 4 March 1876 on the Supreme Court of South Australia, which is the highest ranking court in the Australian State of South Australia.
St Peter's College is an independent Anglican primary and secondary day and boarding school for boys located in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. It was founded in 1847 by members of the Anglican Church of Australia.
Ephraim Lópes Pereira d'Aguilar was the second Baron d'Aguilar, a Barony of the Holy Roman Empire.
Richard Johnson was the first Christian cleric in Australia.
Between 1788 and 1868 the British penal system transported about 162,000 convicts from Great Britain and Ireland to various penal colonies in Australia.
William Bland was a prominent public figure in the colony of New South Wales. A surgeon by profession, he arrived in Australia as a convict but played an important role in the early years of Australian healthcare, education and science.
Captain John Hart CMG was a South Australian politician and a Premier of South Australia.
Sir John Morphett was a South Australian pioneer, landowner and politician. His younger brother George Morphett was also an early settler in South Australia.
Glenelg East is a residential suburb 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) south-west of the centre of Adelaide, South Australia. It is characterised by quarter-acre blocks with heritage homes and parks intermingled with contemporary modern homes and low-rise multi-dwelling units.
Anthony Fenn Kemp was a soldier, merchant and a deputy judge advocate of the colony of New South Wales. He was one of the key participants in the "Rum Rebellion" that removed William Bligh, the appointed governor of the colony, and established an interim military government. He was later permitted to settle in Van Diemen's Land and became a successful merchant and farmer there.
David Jones, was a Welsh-Australian merchant, and the retailer founder of David Jones Limited.
Sir Saul Samuel, 1st Baronet was an Australian colonial merchant, member of parliament, pastoralist, and prominent Jew. Samuel achieved many breakthroughs for Jews in the colonial community of New South Wales including the first Jew to become a magistrate, the first Jew elected to parliament, the first Jew to become a minister of the Crown.
Thomas Wilde Boothby, generally known by his full name, or as "T. Wilde Boothby", was a politician in the British colony of South Australia.
Benjamin Short was an English-born Australian insurance salesman and congregationalist evangelist.
Fernando Joseph da Costa (1683–1753), alias Joseph Curiel, was a member of a wealthy family of merchants in London of Portuguese-Jewish origins, and the son of Alvaro Jacob da Costa, sometimes considered the founder of the Anglo-Sephardi community in London. He was able to buy Copped Hall in Totteridge, Hertfordshire, and thus became the lord of the Manor of Copped Hall.