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Henry CamfieldPrint Page 
The sculpture commemorates pioneer, Henry Camfield who settled in the area in 1829 naming it "Burrswood" after his family home in Kent, England. He experienced deprivation and constant crop failures leading to near starvation in the harsh West Australian environment.
Location
| Address: | Great Eastern Highway & Bolton Avenue, Burswood Park, Burswood, 6100 |
|---|---|
| State: | WA |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -31.963346 Long: 115.894571 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Sculpture |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Settlement |
| Artist: | Joan Walsh-Smith & Charles Smith (Gidgegannup, WA) |
Dedication
Henry Camfield 1799 - 1872
First pioneer settler
Henry Camfield was the first settler in this area, in 1829. He symbolises the struggle of the typical English gentleman to survive the totally different environment experienced in the early days of the Swan River colony. He named the area "Burrswood"after his family home in Kent, which he was never to see again.
He endured great difficulties and when his first three years` crops failed, faced starvation.
The pose of the sculpture in which Henry leans on his spade, wiping the sweat from his brow, was inspired by an excerpt from a letter home : "We are told we shall get our subsistence by the sweat of our brow, but I never read we shall sweat, strive to get on honestly and starve... How many have suffered out here ; many more may, perhaps, myself amongst the number."
From 1848 until his death in 1872, he lived in Albany, where he held the position of Resident Magistrate. He was remembered with respect for his "peculiarly retiring and unassuming manner."
