| Notes |
At 16 John Reynell went to Egypt, returned to England four years later
, then spent some time trading in wheat and other cargo in America an
d Europe, and later went back to Egypt. In October 1838 he arrived i
Adelaide in the Surrey, and in December took up Reynella Farm wher
e he grew wheat and potatoes and bred sheep and cattle. On 31 Januar
y 1839 he married Mary Anne (d.1867), daughter of Francis Lucas of Ire
land. That year he was one of fifty settlers who formed the Agricultur
al and Horticultural Society of South Australia. Although scab was a c
onstant worry his pastoral pursuits flourished; he introduced Southdow
and Saxon rams from Van Diemen's Land, and in 1842 was shearing 400
0 sheep. Observations in Italy and southern France convinced Reynel
l that the vine, olive and fig could be cultivated in South Australia
; in 1841 he planted the first vineyard with 500 cuttings from Tasmani
a, and made wine in 1843. That year he was declared bankrupt when hi
s pastoral enterprises collapsed during an economic recession. He los
t £4000 but was generously treated by his creditors and received a loa
from his brother Henry in Calcutta. In 1844 Reynell planted half a
acre (0.2 ha) with cuttings from G. A. Anstey, next year four an
d a quarter acres (1.7 ha) with shiraz and grenache cuttings from (Sir
) William Macarthur and in 1847-48 ten acres (4 ha) with cuttings fro
m E. J. Peake of Clarendon. He pioneered the export of claret and burg
undy to New Zealand. Appointed a justice of the peace in 1850, in 185
2 he went to the Victorian diggings and won a little gold; in 1854 h
e sold about forty acres (16 ha) of Reynella Farm for the township o
f Reynella with ninety-four allotments bringing him nearly £3000. He d
ied on 15 June 1873 survived by a son and two daughters and left an es
tate of £4000. Source: Dirk van Dissel, 'Reynell, John (1809 - 1873)'
, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 6, Melbourne University P
ess, 1976, pp 22-23, online at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs
/A060028b.htm
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1809 - 1873 (64 years)
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