Berry

Distinguished and Famous people from Berry

Berry's name recalls a family whose large Shoalhaven estate shaped the development of the former Broughton Creek township. That colonial history involved land grants, convict labour and tenant farming, as well as the later public bequests for which the family is remembered.

🌾 Alexander Berry

Alexander Berry, a Scottish-born surgeon turned merchant, established the Shoalhaven estate with Edward Wollstonecraft in 1822. Its farming and commercial activities helped shape the district in which Broughton Creek grew. He later left much of the estate's management to his brothers and spent substantial periods away from Shoalhaven. His local significance lies in landholding and enterprise within the colonial system, including the use of convict labour. The town was renamed Berry after his brother David's death in 1889 to honour the family.

🌾 David Berry

David Berry arrived from Scotland in 1836 and helped manage the Coolangatta estate, later becoming its owner. As convict labour ended, leasing and sharefarming became increasingly important to the property's operation. Hundreds of tenants were involved by the 1860s. His will included a substantial bequest for a hospital in the Shoalhaven and another for the University of St Andrews. His story combines the administration of a very large private estate with philanthropy whose effects continued beyond his death.