A man with vision

Photo: View across Queen’s Park to the Court House, c.1879. Image courtesy of the Maryborough Wide Bay & Burnett Historical Society.

Richard Bingham Sheridan 

An Irish immigrant, Richard Sheridan arrived in Australia in 1842, and engaged in pastoral pursuits near Sydney before appointment to a position in Customs.

1853 found him in Moreton Bay, Queensland where he took a prominent part in the Queensland separation from NSW movement. 

Arriving in Maryborough in 1860 he became as active supporter of the Maryborough Hospital, the Botanical Gardens, and the School of Arts. He held several key positions in the Wide Bay and Maryborough from 1859 to his retirement in 1890 including a sub-collector of customs at Maryborough and later as a Water Police Magistrate and Immigration Agent.

If you take a walk along the Bazaar Street stretch of Queens Park to the Sheridan Fountain, you can read the plaque detailing Richard Sheridan’s many legacies.

Did you know?

Richard Bingham Sheridan planted the first Jacarand tree ever to bloom in Australia. He obtained it from Mauritius and planted it in the beautiful botanic gardens in Maryborough that he was instrumental in establishing.