William Highett

[3] Along with his brother John, William Highett arrived in Hobart Town aboard the Elizabeth in February 1830.

[2] They had intended to continue on to Sydney but decided to settle in Tasmania, obtaining a grant of 500 acres of land near George Town.

[2] While John managed their landholdings, William became the accountant of the Launceston branch of the Bank of Van Diemen's Land in May 1832.

When the branch closed, William joined the Tamar Banking Company as a cashier in January 1835.

The brothers had crossed Bass Strait and were in Victoria by 1838 when William became first manager of the Melbourne branch of the Union Bank of Australia.

He was one of a number of early colonists who built substantial homes on the high ground in Richmond.

[1] After an unsuccessful candidacy in 1856,[1] Highett was elected to Eastern Province in the new Council (now the upper house) in April 1857,[7] after successfully petitioning the incumbent, William Kaye, for bribery.