On his arrival in the Swan River Colony William Frederick Seymour using his birth name Frederick William Palmer was immediately despatched northward in the 'Lady Stirling' as the incumbent whaling crews refused to work with the new whaling team. They were immediately successful in taking one whale. In 1842 he was issued with a Sawyers Licence. It was also in 1842 that a list of unclaimed letters were published including one for Palmer, F.W. William was befriended by the Scott family of Bunbury. He was involved with the Bunbury Koombana Whaling Co. In 1844, he was one of eight men indicted for stealing from the beach at Bunbury - three casks of oil, the property of George Leake, Esq. The jury, after hearing all the evidence, returned a verdict of acquittal against all the prisoners. William Frederick became involved with the Castlerock Fisheries and from 1846 kept extensive records of catches, expenditure and daily life in a series of diaries now held in the Battye Library. In the 1848 diary he starts using the name William Frederick Seymour. Before leasing property from George Layman, William agisted his animals with George Chapman's herd. Later he purchased his own properties in Dunsborough and Yallingup. William Frederick Seymour married Mary Scanlon at Waterloo Farm. They had nine children. The three eldest girls died tragically at an early age, two in 1867 and one in 1869. January 1868 saw the family enveloped in another tragedy whereby William was indicted for the shooting death of his ticket-of-leave employee Thomas (Sam) Davidson. During the trial William is referred to as 'Seymour' and in other instances as 'Palmer'. William was finally acquitted and returned to the farm at Dunsborough. The last tragic years had taken their toll and William Frederick Seymour died on 10th August, 1874, aged just 54. In the burial list of St Mary's Church Busselton 1873 and 1874, William's death is recorded as N 112. NB: Convict William Frederick Seymour (No.99) arrived in the Colony October 1850. He worked for a Mr Wellard in Fremantle and never ventured to the Vasse area again. He is often confused with William Frederick Seymour - Whaler and farmer in the Vasse area - Dunsborough.