Edward Hamersley was a leading thoroughbred breeder who was a foundation member of the Western Australian Turf Club and assisted seven other like-minded men drawing up the organisation's first set of racing rules.
Edward Hamersley was a leading thoroughbred breeder who was a foundation member of the Western Australian Turf Club and assisted seven other like-minded men drawing up the organisation's first set of racing rules.
Born in the United Kingdom in 1810, Hamersley toured Europe extensively before deciding to migrate to Western Australia, largely on the advice of his sister, Frances, who had made the switch already. Upon arriving in WA in 1837, Hamersley made his fortune by acquiring large parcels of land through grants and leasing them to tenants. In 1839, Hamersley went into a breeding business with subsequent fellow WATC founder Samuel Phillips but he spent most of the 1840s living in France because WA was struggling economically. Hamersley returned to WA in 1850, contributed to the WATC's first 20 years, retired in 1870 and died in 1874.