Obethio Sargent (1852-1916)

Obeithio Sargent emigrated to Australia in 1886 with his wife Mary Ann Lewis (1851-1906) on the Elderslie. The couple had intended to settle in Tasmania with his cousin, George Sargent but because of the ill health of Mary, who was pregnant at the time, embarked at Fremantle, Western Australia and remained there. The two families lost touch with each other for seventy years but re-connected happily and the relationship remains strong.

Obeithio and family disembarked at Freemantle after a doctor examined Mary and advised that she must, for the sake of herself and the unborn child, leave the ship there. 

They had no pre-accommodation booked in Perth so found a cellar in which they stayed. The new baby, Phillip, was born there in due course. Obeithio worked as a photographer from that cellar, making his own wet plates there for a few months. 

He then applied for a position being advertised in the ‘Western Australian’ newspaper for a chemist to open a pharmacy department in a store at York which at that time was a busy town on the camel route from Perth to the Kalgoorlie gold fields and situated East of Perth. 

On October 1, 1886 Obeithio opened the pharmacy and managed it for 6 years after which time he purchased the stock and goodwill.