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John Richard Hardy

John was born on the 18th of May 1807 in England and died on the 21st of April 1858 at the age of 51. John died fighting the Chinese off from the gold fields in Yass. He was the third son of Robert Hardy (vicar of Walberton) and his wife Sophia-Adair, née Hale. He was educated at Charterhouse and at Trinity Hall and Peterhouse in Cambridge. He played as a cricketer for Cambridge in 1829 and in 1832 he moved to Sydney where he edited //The Australian// for two years and reputedly introduced round-arm bowling into Australian cricket. On 18 May 1837 he married Clara, fourth daughter of John Stephen and sister of Alfred Stephen.

In 1837- 1843 Hardy was an able police magistrate at Yass where he got a property and reduced the bushranging threat. In 1849-1851 he was police magistrate at Parramatta. Soon after the discovery of gold was announced in 1851, Hardy was appointed chief gold commissioner of crown lands for the New South Wales goldfields at a salary of £600.His instructions were to implement the government's newly-devised goldfields regulations, preserve the peace and 'put down outrage'. Much of his time was spent in riding over the goldfields issuing licences, settling disputes, allotting claims and buying and dispatching gold. Colonel Godfrey Mundy and Captain John Erskine praised his administrative qualities and testified to his fairness, integrity, adaptability and humanity.