Author(s): Alex Pugh; Chris Maxwell

Australian

James Chisholm was an important pioneer of colonial Australia, contributing to its business and banking, democratic processes and pastoral industry, yet historians have ignored him for two hundred years. He left his native Scotland as a young soldier and travelled half way around the world to a new land where from being a corporal in the Rum Corps he rose to become a leading merchant in Sydney. In a life characterised by faith, loyalty, family and self-improvement, this gruff but quietly spoken Scot, of 'genial and kindly disposition', commanded wide respect and made his mark on a new society. His was a 'rags to riches' story that the authors handle in riveting detail, in the process adding to our understanding of the dynamics of the colony during a transformational period ... [they] have not only brought to life a fascinating figure but have also filled an important gap in the history of New South Wales.