(Material researched & presented by Barbara Armstrong)

The Mercury (Hobart), Tasmania 1917

OBITUARY.

SUDDEN DEATH OF DR. BENJAFIELD.

Dr Harry Benjafield, of Moonah, and medical officer for Glenorchy, died suddenly yesterday morning, being found in Albert-road, near his residence, face downwards on the road, with his open umbrella crushed under his body as though he had had a heart seizure. Dr Scott, who was in the neighbourhood, was called, and pronounced life extinct. He was returning home from a visit to his cool storage works about 11 o’clock, at which time it was raining heavily, and apparently he had hurried somewhat. He was found as described by Mr C.M. Large, milk dealer, who called out Mr A.S. Hamilton, Mr Squires, and Mr C. Davis from their residences near by, and these gentlemen conveyed the body of deceased to his home. Constable Gleeson was notified, and he communicated with Dr Scott, who had been attending Dr Benjafield. Dr Scott ascertained that death was due to heart failure, and the facts having been reported to the Coroner, he decided that no inquest was necessary. Three weeks ago he had a severe attack of gout, from which he had suffered for the last forty years, and which had latterly become more acute. He leaves a widow, who was the daughter of the late Rev Joseph Pywell, Baptist minister at Stockport, four sons, and five daughters. His son Eric is on active service, and Dr Vivian Benjafield is in charge of a military hospital in England.

Deceased was 72 years of age, and was a native of Wiltshire. He was a Bachelor of Medicine and a Master of Surgery of Edinburgh University. While studying there he earned his fees by acting as amanueses to a professor, and by putting up stock for chemists. He came to Tasmania in the s.s. Somerset in 1873.  Shortly after his arrival at Hobart, he purchased the practice of Dr Atherton, the city’s first homœopathic doctor, and resided in his house in Davey-street, now occupied by Mrs Charles Walch.

He was large-hearted and hard-working, and his services were always available free for patients in poor circumstances. He took an active part in every movement for the good of the State, and continually contributed articles to English newspapers and magazines, in which he advocated the claims of Tasmania for emigrants. In one article in the “Christian World” he described how the  £20 with which he landed at Hobart had been increased to  £20,000. Most of his savings went into land, and on the Albert-park estate at Moonah he started a dairy, to which his cousins came from England, but this did not prove a success. He introduced into the State vaccination from calf lymph, treating the calves at Moonah, and bringing them into the city in his trap so that he could vaccinate his patients direct from the calf. He held a public meeting at Hobart in support of this system of vaccination, and was supported by many leading citizens. His first calf lymph was purchased from Mr Frank Chalk, of Bombay, and subsequently Dr Benjafield supplied the health authorities of Queensland, New South Wales, and parts of Victoria, hundreds of tubes being despatched by every steamer.

He was the centre of a strong agitation for a homœopathic ward at the General Hospital, being supported by General Irvine and Mr C.F. Collier, both of whom had come to Tasmania from India, and as Dr Benjafield was excluded from admission to the General Hospital he and Dr Gibson established the present Homœopathic Hospital in Macquarie-street.

He was one of the first to advocate the export of fruit to London, being supported by Mr John Baily and Mr Ebenezer Shoobridge, and he induced the shipping companies to allow men to accompany the fruit to see that it was kept at the right temperature. He was always interested in fruit, particularly pears, having extensive orchards at Moonah, Mount Stuart, and Wedge Bay. He was a member of the Pomological Committee of Australia appointed to improve the nomenclature of fruit. He also persuaded Mr W.N. White, of Covent Garden, London, to send out expert packers to Tasmania to give lessons to exporters on the best methods of packing pears. He was a large exporter of pears, which always fetched good prices, one parcel fetching the record price of £5 1s per case for pears of an ordinary variety which he had grown from trees imported from France.

Though a Baptist, Dr Benjafield for many years preached at the Beren Church, Liverpool-street but subsequently he helped to establish the Baptist Church in Elizabeth-street, which was then known as the “Tin Tabernacle,” but which was later replaced by the present handsome edifice, the schools in the rear being built from stone supplied from Dr Benjafield’s quarry at Mount Stewart.

Along with Mr Ockenden (his son-in-law) he started cool storage works at Moonah, of which Mr Ockenden is the manager. In the ‘80’s Hobart was supplied with coal from New Town, and Dr Benjafield discovered on his Mount Stuart property what he believed to be good coal seams. He brought out a number of miners from Wales to work the coal, but the venture was not a success.

He was chairman for many years of the Mount Stuart Road Board, and along with the late Mr Henry Cope, Mr Hilmer Cato, the late Sir Alec Strathern, and Mr George Waters did much to develop that part of Hobart. He was also trustee, along with Mr J.T. Soundy and Mr William Gibson, of the Baptist Church fund.