Biography.
Sidney RICARDO was born at Jersey in the Channel Islands in 1819 according to Victorian Parliament records. Sidney and an older half-brother and half-sister were all subsequently baptized in London in 1820.
Sidney was 24 years old when he arrived in Port Phillip in 1843. He commenced a new life as a punt proprietor at Heidelberg, transporting people and goods across the Yarra River. After a few years, Sidney Ricardo had become established and married Lucretia Flint at Heidelberg in 1852. They had twelve children, with two dying soon after birth.
In 1856, moves were made to form a Roads Board at Templestowe. Sidney, who had come from the background of business London, had the knowledge to handle the formalities for such a move. He led the residents in petitioning the government and when the Templestowe Roads Board elections were held he topped the poll and became the first Chairman of the Board. For six years he was re-elected Chairman.
In 1858, Sidney Ricardo purchased an allotment (Farm 26) of almost 172 acres from Robert Campbell at a cost of £8000. This valuable riverfront land stretched back from the Templestowe Road to the Yarra. Sidney?s farm was at the bend of the river north of the present Banksia street bridge. It was ideal farming land with deep rich soil and the river to provide water; as a result excellent crops of potatoes and vegetables were grown. By 1860, Sidney's farm was reported by the Department of Agriculture to be the richest farm in South Bourke. Sidney Ricardo was reported to be the first farmer in Victoria to use irrigation on his crops.
Sidney tried two methods of irrigation and there were numerous reports in the press about the advantages and disadvantages. Considerable capital was required to establish irrigation, but with the gold rush, there was a ready and profitable market for the farm's produce: fruit, cabbages, cauliflower, potatoes, milk, fodder.
When elections were held for the first Victorian Parliament in 1856, a group of Templestowe men unsuccessfully nominated Sidney Ricardo for South Bourke. The next year when Pasley resigned, he was again nominated for the by-election. Hotels were used for most public functions and this also applied to elections. Sidney advertised that he would meet the electors to present his policy at "The Red Lion" and "Fletchers" hotels in Hawthorn and "The Malvern Hotel" at Gardiner. The poll was counted at the "Governor Hotham" hotel in Kew. He won this election with a large majority.
Sidney Ricardo was an outspoken radical who was off side with authority. His ideas fitted the needs of the small farmer. The demand to unlock the land that began at Eureka had reached a climax with the introduction of a bill which made no provision for the small farmer. Sidney was a small farmer and understood the problem.
The gold miners had been outspoken, but in the city people were more conservative. There was still a tendency to "doff the cap to authority". Sidney had the courage to he outspoken. He represented the small man of a few acres against the monopoly of the squatters. He spoke against the proposed land bill and for the interests of the agriculturalists. He said that "the prosperity of South Bourke consisted of the success of agricultural operation, and the advance of the colony is dependent on the advance of agriculture". He wanted to see the area around the gold fields divided into small agricultural holdings. He advocated a market for agricultural produce with two acres under cover for the farmers to exhibit their produce.
On 22 July 1857, Sidney Ricardo made his maiden speech. He said "The clause of the 'Land Bill' being debated that day was the most objectionable in the whole bill". He proceeded to detail what he believed to be the best way of dealing with crown land: repossession by the government from the squatters and subdivision into smaller runs, so that instead of six hundred squatters there should be many thousands, and that, in the re-division of the land, due should be had to the proposition of the agricultural interests. He advised the government to withdraw the bill.
Later the government planned to establish an experimental farm, the forerunner of the Burnley Horticultural College. They intended to import a skilled director from England. Sidney was a successful small farmer in contrast to his fellow members who were large land owners or business men. He was successful because he had learnt to farm under Australian conditions. He knew that an English director would only know English conditions. Parliament listened to Sidney and agreed to appoint an Australian director at a salary of £500 a year. Again Sidney leapt to his feet, this time in defense of the small man, for the labourers on the experimental farm were to be paid only £30 a year.
In August 1859 Sidney's term was up. He did not re-contest the seat for in some ways he was unsuited for the position. He could speak to a small group but was no orator and often members complained that they could not hear him. His farm and duties at Templestowe kept him busy. Twice he acted as Secretary to the Roads Board, and in the 1870's was appointed Secretary to the Templestowe Cemetery.
Farming on the river flats had its own problems. The river, which provided water for his irrigation during times of drought, destroyed crops in times of flood. A flood in December 1863 destroyed two of Sidney's workmen houses, flooded his steam engine and pumps used for irrigation, destroyed his potato crops (almost 50 acres) and orchard. The damage to crops was estimated as £1500. His potato and cabbage crops (80 acres) were again ruined in a flood in October 1866. A smaller flood in October 1869 spoiled some of his oat and potato crops.
In April 1869, Thomas John Dowd purchased 140 acres of Sidney's farm for £1000 (including the site of what is now Heide I). Sidney's circumstances changed and in 1876 he ran a hay and corn store in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. Lucretia, his wife died in 1879 aged 49.
In April 1891 Sidney applied for admission to the Melbourne Benevolent Asylum as he had exhausted his resources. He had consistently made generous donations to the institution earlier in his life and was a life governor. He was admitted to the institution and lived there for the remainder of his life. Sidney died in 1896.
Source: Sidney Ricardo, Doncaster Templestowe Historical Society
Source: Doncaster and Templestowe Heritage Study Additional Research, Carlotta Kellaway, 1994
Source: Newspapers on
Trove,
https://trove.nla.gov.au (see attached "Documents")
Chris Korte's New Zealand Genealogy Project
1819 - 1896 (76 years)
Has 4 ancestors and 79 descendants in this family tree.
[1, 2, 3] 
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