[1] He was the godson of British caricaturist and book illustrator, George Cruikshank, who taught Forsyth how to draw.
[4] Initially he was employed as a water police constable, where he was attacked and almost died at the hand of a convict that he was transporting,[4][5][6] before becoming an assistant maritime pilot at Rottnest Island in 1869.
[8] In 1879 was appointed by Governor Harry Ord as inaugural head of the Harbour and Light Department, responsible for six ports – Vasse (Busselton), Bunbury, Geraldton, Port Irwin, Cossack and Fremantle (the only exception being Albany)[9] – a position he held until dismissed on 10 May 1886.
He also developed his longstanding interest as an amateur artist, gaining considerable recognition for his well executed works.
Forsyth was a self-taught amateur sketcher and painter who maintained a pictorial record of the sights and experiences associated with his occupation as a pilot at Rottnest and harbourmaster at Fremantle.