John Forrest - Early Years and Family Life

Early Years and Family Life

Forrest, was one of 10 children of William and Margaret Forrest, who came out as servants under Dr John Ferguson in 1842. He was born at Picton near Bunbury in what was then the British colony of Western Australia. He was also known as Jack to his family. Among his seven brothers were Alexander Forrest and David Forrest. John attended the government school in Bunbury under John Hislop until the age of twelve, when he was sent north to Perth to attend the Bishop's Collegiate School, now Hale School, starting there in January 1860. In November 1863, he was apprenticed to a government land surveyor named Thomas Carey. When his term of apprenticeship ended in November 1865, he became the first man born and educated in the colony to qualify as a land surveyor. He then commenced work as a surveyor with the government's Lands and Surveys Department.

On 2 September 1876 in Perth, Forrest married Margaret Elvire Hamersley. The Hamersleys were a very wealthy family, and Forrest gained substantially in wealth and social standing from the marriage. However, to their disappointment the marriage was childless.