watercolourist, sketcher and civil engineer, was born in England, the second son of Aretas Akers of Malling Abbey, Kent. Joining the Royal Engineers, he was promoted second lieutenant in 1846 and first lieutenant two years later. Akers left Southampton aboard the Rippon on 20 December 1848 to take up a posting in Van Diemen’s Land, travelling via Singapore and Adelaide. His experiences are recorded in an illustrated journal dating from his departure through to December 1850 (DL) and in a collection of letters to his brother, Rev. Aretas Akers (1849-55), now in the Kent Archives Office, Maidstone, England. 'Could I have chosen what part of the world to see’, he wrote regretfully, 'my choice would not have fallen on Van Diemen’s Land, because it is too quiet a country and with too little excitement in it to satisfy me—but I am ordered there’.
Akers arrived at Hobart Town aboard the Cacique , and on 5 June 1849 reported to the Royal Engineers’ Office. From the outset he expressed dissatisfaction with his work and complained that 'our duty here is almost solely that of building and keeping in repair, barracks for convicts’. Conversely, he found the social life of Hobart Town quite enjoyable and formed several close friendships. He also managed to explore parts of the island, making one memorable trip from Hamilton to the Gordon River in late 1850. On 16 October 1851, he married Henrietta Margaret, youngest daughter of the commanding officer in Van Diemen’s Land, Colonel Henry Despard, in St David’s Cathedral, Hobart Town.
Akers was transferred to Norfolk Island in 1852. Watercolours from this period (ML) include West Coast of Norfolk Island and Coast at Cascades, Norfolk Island which in both style and subject clearly owe a debt to John Skinner Prout . In 1854 he returned to Van Diemen’s Land. He also visited Melbourne and again seems to have travelled around the countryside pining for home. Finally, on 12 May 1855, he announced his forthcoming departure in the clipper Ocean Chief . After returning to England he was posted to Canada, where he continued to paint. He is represented in the Dixson Library by several pencil sketches of Tasmanian scenery and by some untitled watercolours of ships and icebergs, one dated 1870 – the year he was appointed assistant to the commanding Royal Engineer of the Canadian Forces.
- Writers:
- McDonald, Patricia R.
- Date written:
- 1992
- Last updated:
- 2011
