GILFILLAN, JOHN ALEXANDER (1793-1863) was born at Elizabeth Castle, Jersey, the son of a captain in the 78th Highlanders. Educated there and at St Albans, England, he went to sea as a cabin boy and 18 months later entered the Royal Navy, in which he saw much active service in South America, China, the West Indies and India. He was wounded in boarding a French ship.

On retiring from the Navy, he settled in Edinburgh to study painting and surgery and a few years later was appointed drawing and painting master at the Andersonian College, Glasgow. During 15 years there he painted many pictures and illustrated books, including an edition of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. He painted for the Duke of Buckingham and for Robert Burns's family. In 1826 Gilfillan married Sarah Murray and after her death in 1837 he married her cousin Mary Bridges.

Having decided to emigrate to New Zealand, he spent some months in London learning carpentry and engineering and in 1841 they sailed in the Mandarin to Port Nicholson. In 1842 they proceeded to Wanganui in the Catherine Johnstone and settled on their farm at Matarawa. Gilfillan built a house in Wanganui, where they lived till 1845. He took a prominent part in the affairs of the town and district and he made many pictures and portraits of well known residents. As the result of a disagreement between Midshipman Crozier, of H.M.S. Calliope, and a Ngati-Ruaka chief over the erection of a whare, the Gilfillan family was attacked at Matarawa on the night of 18 Apr 1847, Gilfillan being wounded and his wife and four children killed. At the end of the year the family left for Sydney, and in 1849 removed to Adelaide, where they spent nearly four years. Gilfillan was on the Victorian goldfields in 1852 and then obtained a position in the customs at Melbourne. There he exhibited regularly in the art exhibitions until his death, which occurred in 1863. Many of his pictures were used to illustrate books on New Zealand and some are in public galleries in Australia and New Zealand.

T. W. Downes, Old Whanganui, 241-289 (p); Mundy; Hocken, Bibliog; Tyrone Power; Wanganui Herald, 6 Jan 1888.

Reference: Volume 1, page 164

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