Bussell family

The four brothers John, Joseph Vernon, Alfred and Charles emigrated from England on Warrior, arriving at Fremantle on 12 March 1830.

[1] On arriving in Western Australia, the Bussells found that all of the good farm land around Perth and Fremantle had already been granted, and were advised by the Governor, Sir James Stirling, to form a sub-colony in the vicinity of Cape Leeuwin.

After a number of exploring expeditions, John Bussell discovered good farm land in Busselton in December 1831, and by 1834 the family had established a property named "Cattle Chosen".

[1] During the early years of their settlement in the Vasse area the Bussell family were involved in several massacres and many other shootings of Wardandi Noongar people.

The two Chapmans, Alfred Bussell, a corporal, Moloney and Constable Elijah Dawson were led by Bobingroot, a local Noongar man to where those who stole the calf would be.

In October 1839 Henry Camfield, a colonial settler in Perth who was looking for a wife, came down to the Vasse area to woo Fanny Bussell.

The History of West Australia, written in 1897, states that during the massacre "the white men had no mercy" and dozens of Noongar people were killed.

[6] In 1842 Charles Bussell shot and killed a little Noongar girl called Cumangoot when questioning her about stealing flour from the family's stores.

These letters provide an outstanding record of the lives of a class of settler that were largely neglected by contemporary historians and record-keepers.

On 14 August 2007, The West Australian newspaper reported that the J S Battye Library had paid a possible WA record $91,000 at auction for the personal diaries of Vernon Bussell.