Henry Chamberlin, “was a young Englishman of ample means” who purchased a large block of the land from the Government.
The road running through this land has retained the name of Government Road. This area became known as “East Raglan” or “Chamberlin”. Mr Chamberlin, while not living on the land had it surveyed, subdivided and auctioned in 1863.
He stood for Government in a Raglan by-election in 1867 but was unsuccessful.
In 1871 a meeting was held in Raglan to consider the site of a new wharf. While Chamberlin was absent at the meeting, he had offered Ann Point (on Chamberlin’s land), “where a wharf could be erected at a moderate cost and to which Mr Chamberlin would contribute a large sum of money”. This is where the present wharf is now.
In 1888 Chamberlin accidentally drowned when he fell into a hole at his Drury property.
The subdivision plans indicate that the developer loved flowers and named each street by an English flower; Daisy, Violet, Pink, Rose, Lily and Primrose.
