John Patterson

46

JD Stubbs on 9th February 2026

John Ross Patterson was born circa 1811-1814 in Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland, to parents James Patterson and Mary Ross. His family seemed to have moved to Edinburgh sometime in his early life, with his father being listed as a gentleman’s servant. Sometime before 1826, John’s father James must have passed away or left his family, as he is not listed as living with them. In 1826, John’s mother Mary Patterson neé Ross was in prison. During this year, John and his siblings were also in trouble with the law, with a precognition against John Patterson, Jean Patterson, Janet Innes neé Patterson, and Elizabeth Patterson for the crime of theft being brought to the court. The accused of this trial are listed as: John Patterson, Age: 12, Address: Crawford's Close, Grassmarket, Edinburgh Jean Patterson, Age: 17, Address: Crawford's Close, Grassmarket, Edinburgh Janet Innes, wife of Adam Innes, upholsterer, now transported, m.s. Patterson, Age: 16, Address: Crawford's Close, Grassmarket, Edinburgh Elizabeth Patterson, Age: 16, Address: Crawford's Close, Grassmarket, Edinburgh The Patterson children were again back in court later the same year with a precognition against Jeremiah Harrington, David Dykes, John Paterson, Elizabeth Paterson, Jean Paterson, Arthur Tolan, Janet Paterson, Alexander MacIntyre, Mary Dykes, Ann Dykes for the crime of theft being brought before the court. The accused of this trial are listed as: Jeremiah Harrington, shoemaker, Address: Edinburgh, lodging with Thomas Dykes, tailor David Dykes, shoemaker, Address: Corrie's Close, Edinburgh John Paterson, alias Patterson, Address: Hastie's Close, Grassmarket, Edinburgh Elizabeth Paterson, Address: Hastie's Close, Grassmarket, Edinburgh Jean Paterson, Address: Hastie's Close, Grassmarket, Edinburgh Arthur Tolan, alias Tolland, broker, Address: Grassmarket, Edinburgh Janet Paterson, alias Innes, Address: Hastie's Close, Grassmarket, Edinburgh Alexander MacIntyre, Address: Edinburgh Mary Dykes, Address: Edinburgh Ann Dykes, Address: Edinburgh In early 1827, John and his sister Elizabeth were again in trouble with the law, with a precognition against Margaret Campbell, Elizabeth Paterson, John Paterson, and Alexander Glasgow for the crime of housebreaking being brought before the court. The accused of this trial are listed as: Margaret Campbell, Address: Wester Portsburgh, Edinburgh Elizabeth Paterson, daughter of James Paterson, gentleman's servant, Address: Brown's Close, Grassmarket, Edinburgh John Paterson, son of James Paterson, gentleman's servant, Age: 12, wright, Address: Brown's Close, Grassmarket, Edinburgh Alexander Glasgow, Age: 14, blacksmith, Address: Hardwell Close, Pleasance, Edinburgh The victims of this crime are listed as: William Trotter, lord Provost James Glassford, advocate, North Castle Street, Edinburgh. After this precognition, John Patterson and Alexander Glasgow were brought to trial on 15th March 1827. The trial papers state: John Paterson, wright, and Alexander Glasgow, blacksmith, prisoners in the tolbooth of Edinburgh, for the crime of theft by means of housebreaking. Paterson pled not guilty. Found guilty. Sentenced to transportation beyond seas for life. Glasgow pled not guilty. Found guilty. Sentenced to transportation beyond seas for 14 years. While waiting to be transported, John was held onboard the prison hulk ‘Justitia’ which was moored at Woolwich. The Gaolers report for the Justitia states that John was of bad character and indifferent in custody. Both John Patterson and Alexander Glasgow were transported to NSW onboard the Champion, which departed the UK on 24th May 1827 and arrived at Sydney Cove on 17th October 1827. According to Convict Indents, John was 16 years old when he arrived, but if the Scottish court records are correct, it would put John’s age between 13-14 on arrival. John’s Convict Indents also state: Offence - Housebreaking Sentence - Life Former Convictions - 2 Trade/Calling - Carpenter’s Boy Religion - Protestant Height - 5 feet 2 1/4 inches Completion - Fair Hair - Light Brown Eyes - Hazel General Remarks - Tattoos of A.M.T.J.P, anchor and heart on right arm. A.M.T on left arm. John’s sister Elizabeth was also transported to Australia as a convict, being sent to Tasmania (then known as Van Diemen's Land) onboard the Harmony, which departed the UK 9th September 1828 and arrived in Hobart 14th January 1829. Not much has been found on John and Alexander’s initial assignments after being processed through Hyde Park Barracks. However, on 6th January 1828, just 3 months after arriving in the colony, John was convicted of robbery along with James Maynard and Isaac Brandon (both of whom arrived onboard the Mangles in 1824), of which all were sentenced to work in an Iron Gang for 3 years. John was sent to work in the Number 3 Iron Gang that was working on the Great North Road at Wisemans Ferry in 1828. On 6th February, he was listed as a runaway from the Lower Branch in which he was returned upon recapture on February 18th in Parramatta. ("Lower Branch" refers to the early name for the Macdonald Valley where Wiseman’s Ferry is located. The Macdonald Valley was known as "The First Branch" or "Lower Branch" of the Hawkesbury River). After working on the Great North Road, John must have been moved down to Bathurst at some point to finish the remainder of his Iron Gang sentence, as on 29th May 1830, John was sentenced to 25 lashes for refusing to work while assigned on the Bathurst Road as part of Iron Gang 6 under William Bruton. At some point it appears that John was put to work constructing a hotel that was being erected opposite the Hyde Park Convict Barracks. A carpenter and joiner by trade, John’s skills would have been very valuable to the colonial government. Tradesmen of any kind were very few and far between in those days and were eagerly sought by Government and squatters.  According to recollections of John’s son, James Patterson, the first scene John witnessed from his position of vantage on the top of the building he was working on, was the flogging of a convict, supposed to have some knowledge of the Bank of Australia robbery (the first bank robbery in Australia). Though pleading ignorance, the poor wretch was thrashed senseless before being cut down. For a few more days the same procedure was carried out, but as nothing was heard of the matter, it remains a point of conjecture to whether the unfortunate man or the culprit were ignorant of the whole business or not. No one was openly charged or tried for the crime during John’s time in Sydney. The Bank of Australia robbery occurred on 14th September 1828 when a gang of five robbers: - William Blackstone (arrived 1816 onboard the Mariner), - George Farrell (arrived 1822 onboard the Countess Of Harcourt), - James Dingle (arrived 1820 onboard the Dorothy), - John Wilford alias "Creighton" (arrived 1819 onboard the Bencoolen), and - Valentine Rourke (arrived 1820 onboard the Dorothy) tunnelled through a sewage drain into the vault of the Bank of Australia in George Street, Sydney, and stole some £14,000 in promissory notes and coins. The crime was discovered the following day. Although suspicions immediately fell on Blackstone, Farrell and Dingle, they escaped an indictment until Blackstone turned informer two years later. By then, Creighton was dead and Rourke had left the country. Only Dingle and Farrell faced the Supreme Court of New South Wales on 10 June 1831. Both were found guilty but escaped the gallows because of convict attaint: that is, legal concerns as to whether Blackstone's evidence was admissible because of a previous death sentence. Shortly after serving his time on the Iron Gangs, John Patterson was assigned to settler James Walker on his Wallerawang property, where he was put to work as a carpenter. Wallerawang is located near Lithgow and was then considered part of the Bathurst region. The next record found in relation to John is on 28th December 1838, when he was granted a Ticket of Leave on condition he stay in the Bathurst district. John would go on to become the first settler on the Castlereagh as one of James Walker's assigned servants who was put in charge of a flock of sheep at Biamble, more than eighty miles from Lue. This was due to an incident where Patterson displayed great courage and trustworthiness when helping capture bushrangers when he was a convict. Things were difficult on Wallerawang during times of drought. Bushrangers added to the difficulties caused by the dry seasons of 1837, 1838, and 1839. Flour was very scarce and dear at the time, and the bushrangers created a great nuisance since they frequently held up and robbed drays carrying stores. Most of these bushrangers were convicts who ran away and hid in the bush - something that was very easy to do in the hilly, timbered, sparsely-settled region of the Blue Mountains. One of Walker’s employees, Thomas Archer (who was also Walker’s cousin or nephew), described the capture of one of these runaways on Wallerawang: "I have just got word that one of our men has taken a bushranger about two miles from here. There were three of them in a cavern just above his hut. The man loaded his gun with buttons for want of lead, and went up to their fire, when two of them ran away and he succeeded in stopping the third. If there is no heavy charge against the fellow he will get fifty lashes and be returned to where he left.” Thomas Archer himself was responsible for the capture of two runaways. He was walking along the side of a rocky gully about a mile from the station when he saw a thin wreath of smoke curling up from between two big boulders suspended across the mouth of a small gully and forming a kind of cave. As there had been no Aboriginals about for some time he concluded that the smoke must come from a bushranger's fire. Withdrawing quietly, he ran back to Wallerawang. Thomas’ brother, David Archer, was away on one of his trips to the outstations, but their other brother, William, armed himself and Thomas and called on the convict carpenter, Patterson, to go with them. They rushed to the foot of the gully and moved quietly up to the cave. When they were within fifty yards of it two men jumped out, but these were unarmed and so were easily captured. It turned out later that they had run away from one of the Walker outstations and had lain hidden in their retreat for several days before their capture. Their fellow convicts on Wallerawang had smuggled provisions out to them and they were waiting for a favourable opportunity to start their bushranging career when Thomas discovered them. One of them, named James Lynch (arrived 1835 onboard Lady McNaughten), afterwards proved himself a very ugly customer. He managed to escape from custody later and again took to the bush where he was joined by two other runaways. These three managed to steal horses and arms and began a bushranging career on the upper reaches of the Castlereagh, robbing stations and drays. One afternoon they appeared suddenly at Biamble, stuck up the half-dozen men about the place and put them under guard in a hut. The others rifled the store, smashed the arms they did not want for themselves, stole all the ammunition they could find, and then ordered the storekeeper's wife to prepare a meal. While Lynch kept guard outside the hut, the other two sat down at the table with their guns between their knees. The overseer at Biamble was Simon Scott, a young man who had entered James Walker's employment after becoming friendly with him on the voyage to Australia. He caught the eye of the convict Patterson and one or two of the other men and quietly exchanged signals. Taking an opportunity when the two bushrangers were distracted, Scott suddenly jumped up. Followed by Patterson and two others he rushed the bushrangers and overpowered them. Patterson ran outside, knocked Lynch over and struggled with him on the ground. Wrenching the pistol from Lynch's hand Patterson fired it in his face and the bushranger turned over and lay still. Patterson went back into the hut to assist in securing the other two bushrangers but when he came out again Lynch was gone. The pistol had been loaded with blank cartridges and, as soon as the coast was clear, Lynch had jumped up and escaped. The other two were handcuffed together and Scott and Patterson started off with them to the nearest gaol, at Mudgee about seventy miles away. During the night they took turn about to sleep. In Scott's watch one of the men, who was very slightly built, managed to slip the handcuffs off his wrist. Then both the bushrangers rushed Scott, disarmed him and escaped. They joined Lynch and again began to rob stations and drays. David Archer mustered a party of armed men and, with a black-tracker, went in search of this gang. For several days he followed them from one station to another, gaining on them since they lost time "bailing-up" the stations. At length they reached a station where the bushrangers had spent the previous night and had left only a short time before. After David had followed the fresh tracks for some time shots were heard ahead. These came from one of James Walker's stations in Wellington Valley. Soon afterwards the bushrangers were seen returning on their own tracks at a pace which quickly brought the two parties face to face. They exchanged shots but when one bushranger was shot in the shoulder the others surrendered. At the station they found that the only man there had defended himself against the bushrangers but, on their promise to let him go unharmed, had come out of his hut. He was then shot in cold blood by Llewellyn Powell and was dead when David's party arrived. This was the first recorded murder of a European in the region and occurred in the vicinity of Curban, in the Gilgandra district, on 6th August 1839. On that morning a party comprising escaped convicts Llewellyn Powell (arrived 1835 Marquis Of Huntley), James Lynch and Charles Clip raided John Hall’s Carlingoengoen Station near the Castlereagh River. Powell and Lynch had absconded from James Walker’s Wallerawong Station and Ellis from one of Edwin Rouse’s properties. Seeking to rob the station they accosted James Hand and his wife Anne and ordered everyone in the huts to come out. They shot at the door of one hut and Abraham Meers, a dairyman employed by Mr Hall, fired from inside the hut. Meers’ shot slightly wounded Powell in the head. After being promised that no harm would come to him Meers left the hut and dropped his weapon. He asked the bushrangers to put down their arms. Lynch was the only one who did so. Powell led Meers away from the hut and ordered him to go down on his knees. He then fired a pistol shot at Meers who jumped up and began to beg for his life. Powell said that Meers had attempted to take his life and would be killed. He then shot Meers in the face with a musket and Lynch fired a second musket ball into Meers’ head. The gang then stole tea, sugar and some clothes from the hut. They also stole a horse, ordering James Hand to saddle it. John Hall returned to the property some time after the gang had left and arranged for Abraham Meers to be buried not far from the house. Later that day Powell, Lynch and Clip were arrested by a party of five men led by James Walker’s Superintendent David Archer. This party included ticket-of-leave men Edward Jerry (arrived 1828 onboard the Royal George) and John Patterson, and assigned convict Thomas Maddox (arrived 1825 onboard the Royal Charlotte). They had been seeking Powell’s group after they had committed a number of other robberies in the region. At the time they encountered Powell’s group they were unaware of the murder of Meers. The three prisoners were taken to the police station at Wellington and later sent to Sydney, convicted of murder and hanged. Powell, Lynch and Clip were convicted of the murder of Meers and hanged in Sydney. As a reward for their effort in capturing the felons Jerry and Patterson were granted Conditional Pardons and Maddox a ticket-of-leave. Patterson, the ticket-of-leave convict who had distinguished himself in the capture of the bushrangers at Biamble, had received his Conditional Pardon on David Archer's recommendation, which was lodged on 22nd November 1839, being effective from 1st January 1840 and fully received on 1st May 1840. In early 1840, James Walker organised a party to go out to unclaimed areas to establish grazing lands. The party set off from Walker’s Wallerawong property under the leadership of John Ross Patterson to establish “the best and nearest available grazing country…on the lower Castlereagh”. The party, consisting of Patterson, George Gibson and two others named Lawson and Hedghill, travelled northwest with “a pack train of donkeys, twenty seven saddle horses…(and) a mob of young breeding cattle”. Travelling downstream from Walker’s Illamigulliah run they found well‐watered country and decided to form two stations. They built stockyards and a hut on the western side of the Castlereagh River downstream from Yurammee Creek, and stockyards and a larger building on the eastern bank. These two outstations were located on either side of a river crossing suitable for bullock teams. The western run was known as Yurammee and the eastern as Canamble. In 1840 George Gibson was sent by Walker in a party led by John Ross Patterson to occupy good grazing country on the lower Castlereagh River. The party located and occupied two runs in the vicinity of Coonamble on behalf of James Walker. These runs were named Canamble and Yurammee. George Gibson senior and John Ross Patterson took up the Tooloon run to the west of Bimble in partnership. When this partnership dissolved the run was sold. In search of his own run Gibson followed the advice of local Aboriginal people and headed west towards the Macquarie Marshes. In 1845 he took up a run which he named Wallamgambone. He moved his family to Wallamgambone along with his Aboriginal friend Natty Brown, ‘several other Aboriginal families and a teamster’. John Ross Patterson and George Gibson established two runs for James Walker on the Castlereagh River below Brown’s Illumurgalia run. These were known as Yurammee and Canamble. Gibson later established his Bimble run further west, then over time established runs on the lower Macquarie River including Wallengambone. For a time Gibson and Patterson maintained a joint interest in the Tooloon run west of the Castlereagh River. While living on Tooloon, Gibson and Patterson employed four Chinese workers on their property and enforced strict discipline back up with corporal punishment. This included liberal use of the stockwhip on their employees. One of the workers went missing one day and his body was discovered by an Aboriginal worker, buried in a stockyard. The four Chinese workers were arrested and charged with murder. One, named Cam, turned Queen’s evidence and was reprieved. The other three were hanged. Cam later worked at Mrs Byrne’s Hotel in Gilgandra and died in 1907 after a burning accident. John was taught the Wiradjuri and Wailwan Aboriginal languages from a local who worked on Biamble. Very soon they became fast friends and gradually the Aboriginal man known as ‘Jackey’ began to talk of good grazing land and plenty of water to the west. John’s curiosity was aroused and finally despite the warnings of his companions, decided to go with Jackey and see the land for himself. With a pack train of donkeys (horses were too valuable to risk, being worth more than a hundred pounds a head), and Jackey as a guide, they started off.  After covering one hundred and thirty miles of unexplored country, they arrived on the bank of the Castlereagh River.  It was all Jackey had said and more so.  Miles of fine grazing country lay all around and what was more important still, apparently unlimited water. There and then the country was claimed by Patterson, on behalf of Walker and found yet another station. Cutting across country, he made for Wallerawang and notified Walker of his discovery.  Straightaway Walker registered the claim and set about making arrangements to stock the place.  He had earlier decided to run some sheep on “Caigan” and taking a flock with them, they journeyed there.  Leaving the sheep in charge of some employees they rounded up the cattle and selecting the youngest and best on "Caigan" they set out for the new country. With Hedgehill and Lawson, Patterson and Walker built huts and stockyards and so started “Eurime” and “Coonamble” stations. Like Wallerawang, the town of Coonamble has grown on the old original selection and the first hut built here was on the site of what today is a Chinaman’s garden, close to the Roman Catholic church. As money was not plentiful in those days, wages were generally paid in stock and cattle, Patterson soon collected a large herd. Each muster a percentage of young cattle were branded as his and turned out again to graze with the others. In a few years he had quite a large herd belonging to him and started looking around for a place for himself. Five miles down the river he found what he wanted and by building a hut and stockyard and notifying the Commissioner, the place became his.  Returning to “Caigan”, “Coonamble” and “Eurime”, he gathered together all cattle belonging to him and moved to “Bimble” as he had named the property. Fences were not known in those parts, the cattle being allowed to graze at will an occasional round-up keeping them from straying too far. It was during one of these trips that John nearly lost his life. Returning one afternoon a little later than was safe, he suddenly found himself surrounded by Aboriginals. One glance was sufficient to show they were not friendly.  The old muzzle-loading shotgun he carried was only a slight defence against such a crowd even had there been time to seek cover, which there was not. But one course remained. Putting spurs to his horse he rode straight at the nearest, and using the gun as a club, cleared a pathway out of the surrounding circle.  With spears and boomerangs whistling all around, he made his escape, unhurt except for a few minor scratches. It was not til later, when he found out what a really hostile tribe they were, that he realised what a narrow escape he had had. During his visits to Wallerawang later, John met and courted Irish immigrant Eliza Colgan. In 1844 they were married by Father Dunphy at Middle River, a small town outside Wallerawang.  The good priest was the only parson in these parts at this time and for many years afterwards. He was later drowned in the Cudgegon river not far from Mudgee. Returning to Bimble, John and Eliza settled down to a very lonely married life. The nearest white woman, at that time, was more than fifty miles away. In 1845 their son James was born, the first white baby on the Castlereagh, their daughter Elizabeth coming eighteen months later.  No doctor being available, John brought Mrs James Hall to nurse Eliza each time she gave birth. John and Eliza would go onto have more children (numbered seven in all), with five boys and two girls being born at Cherry Tree Hill. John and Eliza’s first home was built of pine slabs, roofed with box bark and their oldest son James was five years old before they lived in a frame house. A year prior to leaving the Coonamble district, Patterson had taken John Angus as a partner.  He however, did not live long and his widow later married Jeremiah Reardon, the head stockman of the Bimble. John Patterson’s eyes were troubling him a lot at this time and no doctor being resident in the Coonamble district, he determined to go to Sydney to have them treated. Reardon, now married to widow Angus and Joe Tomkins, a hired out soldier, were the only men working on the place when John packed up to go. Tomkins knew practically nothing of station work, so John was forced to leave Reardon in charge. He returned to find he had been swindled out of Bimble. Reardon had dispossessed Patterson of his property. This happened due to a bizarre game relating to the land laws which was played out by Reardon. Exploiting a clause relating to occupation of leased lands Reardon, who was overseer for John Patterson on Bimble, took over the run during Patterson’s long absence in 1847 while he was seeking medical treatment in Sydney. Using similar tactics Reardon absorbed James Walker’s Yurramee into Bimble, forcing Walker to take legal action to protect his Canamble run. Reardon also managed to acquire parts of John Hall’s run on the eastern bank of the Castlereagh. One thing, however, they could not take was the cattle. Rounding these up, John took them over to Caigan and left them with Mr Walker. This action of betrayal on the part of the man he had trusted made John very bitter and it was then he started drinking. An evil that later was to make a poor man of him. Returning he packed the families few belongings and moved further down the river to "Curban," a station owned by Robert Bennett.  Here he stayed a number of years, and during the time he was manager, added twenty more blocks to the place, making it a very valuable property. Yet again he determined to make another start for himself and coming to Cherry Tree Hill, rented two blocks, each of six hundred and forty acre from Mr Lawson of Prospect.  He had had enough of cattle and engaged in mixed farming and sheep raising here for a change.  It was here the rest of his children were born and in 1856 his wife Eliza died. The gold fever was now all over the land and big fields – Meroo, Long Creek, Hillend, Nuggets Gully – were in full swing.  Patterson used to send his produce and vegetables to these diggings and generally the task fell to his son James. James was eleven years old when he drove his first team of bullocks over land to the gold fields.  It was a case of necessity that such a young lad should be sent on such a long journey alone. Every man was bitten with the gold fever and all were too anxious to get rich quickly by lucky strikes to work for wages. This meant John had to rely upon himself and his children to carry on the farm. Being the eldest, the bulk of the work fell to James and often the whole responsibility was his when John was “on the tank” which was pretty often. There was an enormous trade carried on by the sly grog sellers handling smuggled spirits. “Rum Boats”, carts on which the liquor was carried in casks, were common and were the foundations of not a few of the fortunes of wealthy families.  Smuggling was comparatively easy then, for the few soldiers resident in the country had too much other work to occupy their time to devote a very strict watch along the miles of coastline and prevent it. Then again, there were no trains or telephones much less wireless, so these gentry did practically as they pleased.  The only means of conveyance of goods was by bullock wagons and constantly a continuous stream flowed in and out of Sydney seven days a week. Wool and wheat were now being grown in fairly large quantities and it was these and produce largely that the wagons carried down and brought back stores in return.  Mr Walker must have had many wagons continuously on the road from Wallerawang to Sydney.  He made this farm his headquarters from which all his other stations drew their supplies and to which they sent their produce.  All his sheep were shorn here being moved down to headquarters.  This plan not only saved expense but often much time for sheep could be driven across country where heavy wagons could not travel. It was from Cherry Tree Hill that young James ran away, after a bigger fight than usual with his father John, because he wouldn’t go and get drink for him and this, together with the bad luck of losing nearly all his sheep from a disease called “Bottle” made John give up the place. Selling the remaining three hundred sheep to Harry Redford, the publican, John moved to Hillstone, on the Old Mudgee Road. Then an old convict camp, known as Keen’s camp, after ex- convict Keen, who lived close by. He was a particularly vicious man, notorious in these wild days as a man killer and one to be avoided at all costs. This Redford was credited with knowing more than any other of the identity of Captain Starlight, the bushranger, who was operating around those parts. Some would say they were one and the same. John’s stay at Hillstone was brief, a month at the most. Gradually he worked his way back to the Castlereagh again. This part of the country always had a fascination for him he never overcame. Always the place called him back and it was here he eventually died. Though back out west, he made no attempt to start again on the land, but contented himself working at his trade of carpenter, building in the town that was quickly growing up around Coonamble. He built the first Hotel here during this stay for Patrick McMahon. Yet once again John was to make another try at cattle raising. Moving over to the Macquarie River, he located at “Ewenmar”, five miles below Warren. Slowing down on the drink, for many years he stayed here and built a really fine property. At last he seemed well on the way to getting the fortune he set out so many years before to gather. Alas! For his fond hopes, Mr Rouse, who owned some splendid properties around those parts, made him a tempting offer to sell. Patterson took it and then commenced to become the most glorious drunk of his life. He bottled the lot and finished up “broke”. Never again did he start anything of promise, but remained content to work at his trade for the rest of his life.  On 10th January 1866, John was found guilty in Mudgee of uttering forged notes in Coonamble on 16th November 1865. In 1894 at the age of eighty six, he died and was buried in the cemetery of the town (Coonamble) built upon the land he was the first white man to see. He died a poor man, owning not so much as a foot of ground, where he should have possessed thousands of acres.

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JD Stubbs on 9th February 2026

John Ross Patterson was one of the earliest European settlers on the Castlereagh River. He was evidently an employee of James Walker of Wallerawong, who held large runs in the region from the 1830s. In partnership with fellow employee James Gibson, Patterson took up a run named Bimble. Early in 1840 he took some young stock and, with a party of three assigned servants and an Aboriginal guide he occupied runs at Eurimie and Coonamble. Another run was occupied later at Yoolandry. He later managed Curban for Robert Bennett. Patterson expanded Curban by adding extra portions. Bennett built the first house at Curban. By 1841, 17 people were living at Curban. The census undertaken in that year recorded 13 adult males, two adult females and two female children. In early 1840 a party set off from James Walker’s Wallerawong property under the leadership of John Ross Patterson to establish “the best and nearest available grazing country on the lower Castlereagh”. James Walker, who held extensive sheep walks in the Wallerawang district sent his stockmen, John Patterson and George Gibson, to establish a station on the bank of "Canamble" Creek. The homestead was at the junction of the creek and the Castlereagh River. The crossing over the Castlereagh River and a large waterhole established the place as a crossroads for the tracks that developed after European settlement. A crown reserve named Coonamble Reserve, covering land on both sides of the river, was declared on 5 July 1855.

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JD Stubbs on 9th February 2026

Name: John PATTERSON Ship: Champion Year: 1827 Record Type: Ticket of Leave Date: 28 Dec 1838 Remarks: District: Bathurst; Tried: Edinburgh CJ Citation: [4/4125; Reel 931] Name: John PATTERSON Ship: Champion Year: 1827 Record Type: Recommended Conditional Pardon Date: 22 Nov 1839 Remarks: Special Citation: [4/4481; Reel 774 Page 044] Name: John PATTERSON Ship: Champion Year: 1827 Record Type: Recommended Conditional Pardon Date: 22 Nov 1839 Remarks: Special, entry ruled out in volume Citation: [4/4481; Reel 774 Page 051] Name: John PATTERSON Ship: Champion Year: 1827 Record Type: Recommended Conditional Pardon Date: 1 Jan 1840 Citation: [4/4478; Reel 797 Page 130] Name: John PATTERSON Ship: Champion Year: 1827 Record Type: Conditional Pardon Date: 1 Jan 1840 Citation: [4/4438; Reel 778 Page 463] Name: John PATTERSON Ship: Champion Year: 1827 Record Type: Recommended Conditional Pardon Date: 1 May 1840 Citation: [4/4478; Reel 797 Page 136] Name: John PATTERSON Ship: Champion Year: 1827 Record Type: Conditional Pardon Date: 1 May 1840 Citation: [4/4439; Reel 779 Page 121]

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Penny-Lyn Beale on 9th January 2025

UK, Prison Hulk Registers - Justitia Register. No; 1402. aged 19 years old. Offence; Theft

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JD Stubbs on 22nd August 2021

John became one of the first settlers on the Castlereagh River near the current town of Coonamble and befriended the local Indigenous Wailwan people.