George Thorn (1806-1876)

George Thorn was born near Stockbridge, England, on 11th April 1806.  He was a non-commissioned officer of the 34th Regiment and also served in the 4th Queen's Own Regiment in England and elsewhere.  He reached the rank of Colour-Sergeant.

In 1833 George emigrated to New South Wales, where he worked as an orderly for Governor Richard Bourke and in the Commissariat Department, and Town Survey Department.  Purchasing his discharge, prior to his regiment disembarking for India, he joined the Melbourne Survey Commissariat, which was at that time undertaking the first surveys of Melbourne.  

He was sent to Moreton Bay in 1838 and was appointed the superintendency of Limestone Hill Station (present day Ipswich) on 20th July 1839.  Arriving with his wife Jane and their son George, Thorn had a salary of £60.  At Limestone, he was in charge of the convicts, all government stock in the district, and the supervision of agricultural activities, including those undertaken at the Plough Station (Raceview).  He is said to have grown the first crop of wheat in Queensland.  Thorn remained in this role until the end of the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement.

He retired from government service in 1842, the year Moreton Bay was opened to free settlers.  He built the Queen's Arms Hotel and, in 1843, began purchasing Ipswich town lots.  He acquired Normanby Station in 1844 and invested in Rosebrook, Nukienda, Warra Warra, Kogan, and Braemar stations, and allotments in Toowoomba, Mogill, and Cleveland, all up over 58,000 acres.  Selling the Queen's Arms in 1847, he opened a general store.

Thorn made a considerable contribution to the early development of Ipswich.  He helped to establish the Anglican Church, the School of Arts, the Ipswich General Hospital, Ipswich Grammar School, Queens Park, the North Australian Club, the Queensland Pastoral and Agricultural Society, and the Ipswich Turf Club.  

Thorn was an inaugural member of the Queensland Parliament, sitting for the electorate of West Moreton from 3rd May 1860 to 3rd April 1861.  Thorn was an Alderman at Ipswich from 1862 to 1865.  

Several of his sons also entered politics:

• George Thorn Jnr. (1838-1905) represented the electorate of West Moreton from 18th June 1867 to 4th November 1873; Fassifern from 4th November 1873 to 9th January 1874; Ipswich from 20th June 1876 to 18th February 1878; Northern Downs from 17th April 1879 to 7th September 1883; Fassifern from 4th August 1887 to 10th May 1888 and again from 4th April 1893 to 11th March 1902.  He was a member of the Legislative Council from 9th January 1874 to 16th June 1876.  He was Secretary for Public Lands and Mines (7th November 1877 - 6th February 1878); Secretary for Public Works (8th March 1877 - 7th November 1877); Premier (5th June 1876 to 8th March 1877), Postmaster-General and Secretary for Public Works and Mines (5th June 1876 - 8th March 1877); and Postmaster-General and Representative of Government in Legislative Council (9th January 1874 - 5th June 1876).

• Henry Thorn (1840-1880) represented the electorate of Northern Downs from 18th July 1867 to 14th September 1868 and again from the 4th November 1873 to 30th October 1876.

• John Thorn (1847-1896) represented the electorate of Fassifern from 24th January 1874 to 12th May 1878.

• William Thorn (1852-1935) represented the electorate of Aubigny from4th August 1894 to 27th August 1904 and again from the 5th February 1908 to 27th April 1912.  He was also an Alderman for Toowoomba (1891-1892, 1894-1901) and Mayor (1893), and he was a member of the Esk Divisional Board.

In 1863 he purchased Claremont from John Panton.  George Thorn died on 28th April 1876.