Rivett (or Revett) Henry Bland (2 February 1811 – 18 February 1894) was an early settler and a government administrator in colonial Australia.
Bland was the son of Thomas Bland and Emma Revett, and was born at Newark, Nottinghamshire, on 2 February 1811. He was educated at the Newark grammar school, and at 14, studied for the medical profession at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London but did not become a doctor. His brother was a member of the House of Commons.
Western Australia
After leaving England in May 1829 for Western Australia on , he arrived in August at the age of 18 with his man-servant.
Because of the money and property he brought with him, he was granted on the left bank of the Swan River, a grant which extended almost from the river, part of which became the Houghton estate.
In 1831, Bland was appointed by the Governor James Stirling to settle the York district, about from Perth on the Avon River and to establish a stockyard there.
Bland was a member of the first party of settlers to journey to the Avon Valley that set off on 6 September 1831, and he selected a place south of Mt Bakewell near a broad reach of the river. As instructed by Stirling, by the end of September 1831, Bland had built the first house in York above the ford.
As instructed by Stirling, Bland established the government farm to the west of the Avon River ford. To do this, Bland went into partnership with Arthur Trimmer, who with his brothers had brought Merino sheep to the colony. Bland established the Government farm "mostly at his own expense". Bland was to run the farm but both of them worked on the farm for some years.
In 1832, Bland and Trimmer rented the Government stock farm for one peppercorn per annum for two years provided that Bland and Trimmer house soldiers sent to York. The Government later awarded on the east side of the river to Bland as a reward for having settled it.
Bland also received as grant south of the town. He called this land Balladong Farm from as early as 1831.
In July 1834 Bland was returning from Guildford when the following incident occurred:
In September 1834, the Perth Gazette reported:
In December 1834, at the age of 23, Bland was appointed resident magistrate for the York district without salary. At the same time as he was the main civil servant in the district, he was also one of the most successful farmers in the Colony.
In June 1835, Trimmer was on his way to York when his cart broke down. He was compelled to go on for assistance. On his return, accompanied by Bland, when about 7 miles from their home at York, "they observed a native in the bush in the act of raising his spear, and shortly afterwards, a known signal being given, a party of about twelve rushed forward from the place of their concealment; but both Mr Trimmer and Mr Bland being apprised of their danger by the signal given, put spurs to their horses, and galloped about three miles, by which means they avoided their hostile assailants."
In July 1835, Bland and Trimmer lost 16 pigs "speared and carried off by natives". Bland became superintendent of the work for the improvement of the York road, and he also commenced planning an exploratory expedition 100 miles to the east of his farm at York.
The first town or suburban allotment of land in York was made to Trimmer and Bland on 31 July 1835, which they purchased for £20.
By 1836, Trimmer and Bland had 5,000 sheep in York. Bland reported in 1836 that he had increased the flock at the rate of about 80 lambs to 100 ewes per annum. Lieutenant-Governor Stirling observed that if Bland were to stay in the Colony, he would become a wealthy man.
In September 1836, two or three natives gained access to Bland and Trimmer's barn. One was carrying away a quantity of flour and was shot by a man named Gallop, who had been hiding in the loft of the barn. Two days later, in reprisal an old settler called Knott was speared in his hut and robbed. Following this incident, the partnership between Bland and Trimmer was dissolved with effect from 1 October 1836.
In 1838, aged 26, Bland married Emily Sultizer (sometimes Lutzen) and around this time built "a very pleasant dwelling house" to live in at Balladong Farm.
After the murder of Sarah Cook by Aboriginal people in 1839, Bland complained that because of new measures to protect natives, he was prevented from arresting the natives suspected of the crime.