NOW & THEN BOOK

Alexander (Alec) Thomson
Alec Thomson came to Western
Australia in 1895 working as a
Journeyman. In 1896, he married
Edith Maud Jenkinson, and they had
four sons. He moved to Katanning in
1905 where he opened a timber and
hardware store known as Thomson
and Melany. At the 1914 state
election, Thomson was elected to the
seat of Katanning and was the
Country Party’s deputy leader in
1921. He was a director of the
Katanning Flour Mill, founder of the
Katanning Fresh Air League and
Katanning Historical Society, and
was active in local affairs.
William John Rogers
William John married Hannah Mary
Pinkerton and they had seven
children. In 1901, William arrived in
Katanning and set about establishing
his store. He was a very successful
retailer who began with modest
premises and expanded into his
larger Central Store. He purchased
CA Harris’s Central Store in Clive
Street and, by 1904, Rogers was
ready to build his own much larger
premises. In July 1904 tenders were
called for the new Roger’s Central
Store, the architect being FW Burwell
of Fremantle. The building still
dominates Clive Street today.
Elijah Quartermaine
Elijah is considered to be the first
settler in the district of Katanning.
In 1851 he was grazing 1,900 sheep
and, finding abundant water and feed
for his sheep in the area,
Quartermaine permanently settled
being the first to secure land (1852).
He named the property Yowangup,
a name derived from a spring on
his property. He married Elizabeth
Dickenson on 20 November, 1835
and they had 12 children.
Descendants of Quartermaine still
own and manage the property,
which also has his grave on it.
George McLeod
George McLeod was a respected
local businessman as the owner of
the Katanning Hotel. F&H Piesse’s
original hotel burnt down in 1893
and was rebuilt on its present
site in 1898.
George McLeod Jnr purchased the
goodwill and freehold of the hotel.
He was also a member of the Roads
Board and the Hospital Committees
and was a political candidate for the
Nationalist Party in 1914.
McLeod built his residence in
1912 and the family lived in it
until the mid 1930s.