John Nicol Drummond was an early settler 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...

. He became the colony's first Inspector of Native Police

Native Police Corps

An Australian Native Police Corps was first established in 1842 in the Port Phillip District of the Australian colony of New South Wales...

, and helped to explore the Champion Bay district before becoming one of the district's pioneer pastoralists.

The fourth child of botanist James Drummond

James Drummond (botanist)

James Drummond was a botanist and naturalist who was an early settler in Western Australia.-Early life:...

, John Drummond was born in County Cork

County Cork

County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...

 in 1816. Among his brothers were James

James Drummond (Australian politician)

James Drummond was an early settler in Western Australia, and a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 1870 to 1873.Born in 1814, most probably in Cork, Ireland, James Drummond was the son of botanist James Drummond...

, who would become a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council

Western Australian Legislative Council

The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. It sits in Parliament House in the state...

; and Johnston

Johnston Drummond

Johnston Drummond was an early settler of Western Australia who became a respected botanical and zoological collector.The son of botanist James Drummond, Johnston Drummond was born in County Cork, Ireland in 1820...

, who became a respected botanical collector. An uncle, Thomas, had accompanied Sir John Franklin

John Franklin

Rear-Admiral Sir John Franklin KCH FRGS RN was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. Franklin also served as governor of Tasmania for several years. In his last expedition, he disappeared while attempting to chart and navigate a section of the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic...

 in his explorations into the Northwest Territories

Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...

 of Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 in 1819-22.

In 1829 the Drummond family emigrated to the Swan River Colony

Swan River Colony

The Swan River Colony was a British settlement established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. The name was a pars pro toto for Western Australia. In 1832, the colony was officially renamed Western Australia, when the colony's founding Lieutenant-Governor, Captain James Stirling,...

 in what is now 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...

, arriving on board the Parmelia

Parmelia (barque)

The Parmelia was a barque that was used to transport the first civilian officials and settlers of the Swan River Colony to Western Australia in 1829....

on 1 June. John Drummond would have spent much of his youth helping with the family farm at Toodyay

Toodyay, Western Australia

Toodyay is a town located in the Wheatbelt region in the Avon Valley, 85 km north-east of Perth, Western Australia. Toodyay is connected to Perth via both rail and road.-History:...

. As he grew older, he spent more and more time with the local indigenous Australians of the area, going on long hunting expeditions that took him away from home for many weeks at a time. In 1839 he caused a scandal in the colony when it became widely known that he been "lent" a wife by the local tribe.

Late in 1839, a woman and her baby were murdered by natives near York, and Governor Hutt

John Hutt

John Hutt was Governor of Western Australia from 1839 to 1846.Born in London on 24 July 1795, John Hutt was the fourth of 13 children of Richard Hutt of Appley Towers, Ryde, Isle of Wight. He was educated at Christ's Hospital, and in 1815 inherited Appley Towers...

 responded by establishing a special police force known as the Native Police. As a man well known and widely respected by the local tribes, and familiar with indigenous language and customs, John Drummond was appointed the colony's first Inspector of Native Police. He made regular patrols of the Avon Valley district, and continued to attend corroboree

Corroboree

A corroboree is a ceremonial meeting of Australian Aborigines. The word was coined by the European settlers of Australia in imitation of the Aboriginal word caribberie. At a corroboree Aborigines interact with the Dreamtime through dance, music and costume. Many ceremonies act out events from the...

s and tribal gatherings. He became a valued tracker and negotiator, and earned the respect of both colonists and natives.

In 1845, Drummond's brother Johnston

Johnston Drummond

Johnston Drummond was an early settler of Western Australia who became a respected botanical and zoological collector.The son of botanist James Drummond, Johnston Drummond was born in County Cork, Ireland in 1820...

 was murdered by a native named Kabinger. After obtaining a warrant

Warrant (law)

Most often, the term warrant refers to a specific type of authorization; a writ issued by a competent officer, usually a judge or magistrate, which permits an otherwise illegal act that would violate individual rights and affords the person executing the writ protection from damages if the act is...

, John Drummond set out to avenge his brother's murder. He tracked Kabinger for two weeks without success, before finding him at sundown on 15 August. According to the diary of Gerard de Courcy Lefroy:

"He pulled up his horse, which is rather a hot little beggar, and asked him why he murdered his brother... the awful ghastly look the scoundrel gave him nearly unnerved him for the moment... but when he saw the spear shifted... his horse plunging all the time he put his gun up and fired and drove the ball in his left side and out his right. He fell to the ground on his face and buried his teeth in the grounds and expired.... It was a beautiful shot - fifty yards - he never let his spears go."

Drummond reported Kabinger's death as having been done "in the execution of his duty while enforcing a warrant of arrest". Governor Hutt, who had already had a number of disputes with Drummond over his "independent attitude to officialdom", did not accept Drummond's version of events, and suspended him from the police force. However without Drummond's influence the natives caused the colonists of the district difficulties, so when Hutt returned to England at the end of the year, Drummond was immediately reappointed to the police at a lower rank.

In 1849, Drummond accompanied an overland party to the Champion Bay district, where a small mining settlement was being formed. He helped to handle a number of delicate and dangerous standoffs with the local indigenous tribe, and his return to Toodyay was greatly regretted. On returning to Toodyay, Drummond found himself constantly quarrelling with the newly appointed Protector of the Natives at York, Walkinshaw Cowan, who accused him of leaving his district while on duty. These accusations were probably correct, as Drummond was courting Mary Eliza Shaw of Guildford

Guildford, Western Australia

Guildford is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located 13 km northeast of the city. Its Local Government Area is the City of Swan.-History:Guildford was established in 1829 on the Swan River, being sited near a permanent fresh water supply...

 at the time. In April 1850, a court of inquiry was held at York to enquire into Cowan's complaints against Drummond. The inquiry was eventually closed without any findings, and shortly afterwards the problem was solved by transferring Drummond to Champion Bay as First Constable of the newly established police force there.

In 1850, Drummond acted a police escort for a group of pastoralists including John Sydney Davis

John Davis (Australian politician)

John Sydney Davis was an early pastoralist and MLC in colonial Western Australia.-Early life:Born in Galway, Ireland in 1817, nothing is known of his life until he arrived in Western Australia on board the Trusty in about 1842. Initially he lived at Australind, then moved to Hotham River to manage...

, Major Logue, William

William Burges (Australian politician)

William Burges was an early settler in Western Australia who became a pastoralist and a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council....

 and Lockier Burges, Thomas

Thomas Brown (Western Australian politician)

Thomas Brown was an early settler in colonial Western Australia, and a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council....

 and Kenneth Brown

Kenneth Brown (pastoralist)

Kenneth Brown was an explorer and pastoralist in Western Australia. He was hanged for murdering his wife.Kenneth Brown was born in England in 1837. The eldest son of Thomas Brown, he later became the older brother of Maitland Brown. In 1840, The Brown family emigrated to Western Australia,...

, and Drummond's brother James

James Drummond (Australian politician)

James Drummond was an early settler in Western Australia, and a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 1870 to 1873.Born in 1814, most probably in Cork, Ireland, James Drummond was the son of botanist James Drummond...

, in overlanding stock from York to Greenough

Greenough, Western Australia

Greenough is a historical town located 400 kilometres north of Perth, Western Australia and 24 kilometres south of Geraldton on the Brand Highway. The historic buildings are controlled by the National Trust of Australia...

. Later he accompanied an exploration party including Augustus Gregory

Augustus Gregory

Sir Augustus Charles Gregory KCMG. was an English-born Australian explorer. Between 1846 and 1858 he undertook four major expeditions.-Early years:...

, John Septimus Roe

John Septimus Roe

John Septimus Roe was the first Surveyor-General of Western Australia. He was a renowned explorer, and a Member of Western Australia's Legislative and Executive Councils for nearly 40 years.-Early life:...

, James Drummond Jr and Samuel Pole Phillips, in exploring the land around the Upper Irwin.

In 1851, Drummond acquired a block of land next to the police reserve at what is now known as Drummond Cove

Drummond Cove, Western Australia

Drummond Cove is a coastal town located north of Geraldton, Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Greater Geraldton.The locality was gazetted in 1985.-Demographics:...

. Shortly afterwards he obtained a pastoral lease over four thousand acres (16 km²) of land in the area, adding three thousand acres (12 km²) the following year. In February 1852 he took leave, travelling to Guildford where he married Mary Eliza Shaw. They would have one daughter, who would die in infancy.

A rich lode of copper

Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...

 ore

Ore

An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....

 was discovered on Drummond's pastoral lease in 1853, and Drummond purchased 50 acres (202,343 m²) of his leave to secure the mining rights. He then placed management of the mine in the hands of George Shenton

George Shenton

Sir George Shenton was a prominent businessman in colonial Western Australia, the first Mayor of Perth, and a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for over thirty years.-Early and family life:...

, who appointed Joseph Horrocks

Joseph Horrocks

Joseph Lucas Horrocks was a convict transported to Western Australia in 1852, who established the town of Northampton.Joseph Horrocks was born in Cornwall in 1805...

 to manage the mine. Under Horrock's management, the mine, which was named Gwalla, ultimately became the town of Northampton

Northampton, Western Australia

Northampton is a town north of Geraldton, in the Mid West region of Western Australia. At the 2006 census, the town had a population of 813. It is historic, with an outstanding National Trust building. The town lies on the North West Coastal Highway. Formerly named Gwalla after the location's...

.

By 1857, Drummond had been promoted to Sub-Inspector of Police at Champion Bay, and owned valuable pastoral and mining interests in the area. That year, he was ordered to take charge of the police force at Albany

Albany, Western Australia

Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....

, around 800 kilometres away. Unwilling to abandon his other interests, he resigned from the police force, thereafter focussing on his pastoral and agricultural interests.

In 1876, the Drummonds took in the orphaned child of Kenneth Brown

Kenneth Brown (pastoralist)

Kenneth Brown was an explorer and pastoralist in Western Australia. He was hanged for murdering his wife.Kenneth Brown was born in England in 1837. The eldest son of Thomas Brown, he later became the older brother of Maitland Brown. In 1840, The Brown family emigrated to Western Australia,...

, who had been hanged for murdering his wife. He retired in the 1880s, and died in 1906. He was the second last surviving colonist to arrive on the Parmelia, his sister Euphemia being the last.