John McKail

John McKail (22 January 1810 – 6 August 1871) was an early settler of Western Australia. He was among the first arrivals in the Swan River Colony in 1829, but in 1835 was banished to Albany after trouble with the law. In Albany, he set up as a merchant and subsequently developed interests in a number of fields. He owned hotels, invested in whaling, and exported sandalwood to Asia. McKail served in the Legislative Council from 1870 to 1871, as one of the council's first elected members.

Early life McKail was born in Deptford, Kent, England, and was descended from an old Scottish Covenanter family. His father, Nathaniel, was a naval architect at Deptford Dockyard, and had intended for his son to take up the same profession. That did not eventuate, however, as at the age of 19, McKail secured a place on board Parmelia, the ship carrying the first British settlers (including the new governor, James Stirling) to the Swan River Colony. His father was an acquaintance of the Mangles family, of which Stirling's wife was a member.

Swan River Colony After arriving in the new colony, McKail and a friend initially camped out on Mount Eliza, overlooking the Perth townsite. and in May 1835 was charged with the manslaughter of Gogalee, the son of Yellagonga (a local Noongar leader). McKail reputedly confessed to shooting Gogalee, but because the circumstances were disputed the colonial authorities believed it was unlikely that a jury would convict him. An acquittal would have angered the local Aborigines, so it was decided that, instead of a trial, McKail would pay blood money to Gogalee's family, and then be expelled from the area.

Albany McKail arrived in Albany later in 1835, and initially worked as a commercial agent for Anthony Curtis, a merchant who traded between Albany and Fremantle. He was again in trouble with the law in 1836, when he was imprisoned for illegally selling alcohol. However, McKail served in parliament for less than six months before resigning his seat in April 1871, becoming the first elected member to do so. The journey from Albany to Perth in those days took seven days, and there was no reimbursement for travel expenses. McKail died in Albany later that year, aged 61. He had married Henrietta Jenkins in 1839, with whom he had two sons and seven daughters.