painter, amateur photographer, soldier and policeman, was born in Kilkenny, Cork, second son of Thomas T. Bookey and Florinda, née Trench. He was related to Lord Clancarty of County Galway and grandson of Dr Trench, archbishop of Tuam. After being educated at Rugby Bookey became an ensign in the 54th Regiment, subsequently exchanging into the 63rd. He served in India as adjutant to the regiment then returned to England, sold out and migrated to Victoria where he took up property on the Avoca River as a squatter. This venture was not successful and in 1853 he joined the Victoria Police Force, being promoted inspector after four days. In 1865 he was promoted superintendent first class and later inspecting superintendent, the second highest rank. He was noted as a stern disciplinarian and an efficient and impartial officer. Interested in natural history, he exhibited 'A Collection of Birds, Reptiles, &c.’ from Beechworth at the 1861 Victorian Exhibition, in conjunction with the Rev. C. Howard.
From about 1866 Bookey was stationed at Geelong. The Geelong Advertiser reported that he 'was a keen sportsman, both on land and water [and] exceedingly fond of yachting. As an amateur photographer he had few equals, and possessed no small talent as an artist, the taste displayed in some of his oil paintings on the broad leaves of the eucalypti fully entitling them to the name of artistic gems’. No further references to his photographs and gum-leaf paintings have been found. He did, however, exhibit five paintings in 1869, both in the Geelong and Ballarat Mechanics Institute exhibitions: Fishing Smack off Dover , Lock Tay , and Schnapper Point (all oils), St Michael’s Mount, Cornwall and Scene near Naples (medium unspecified).
Bookey’s first wife, Eliza Ann, née Pope died in 1864 and in the first half of 1867 he married Sarah Jane Dickson, née Watt, born in Quebec. She died in 1870 aged 30. There were no children from either marriage. Bookey died of an aneurism of the aorta at his home, Marine View, Bellarine Street North, Geelong, on 14 December 1872, having been ill for some five months. Both the Geelong Advertiser and the Geelong Times mentioned his interest in spiritualism in their obituaries, especially his belief that he had been visited by his second wife (to whom he had been devoted). Despite this, his will – made 12 days before his death – gave instructions that he was to be buried on the right-hand side of his first wife and that no memorial or tombstone was to be erected, but that his name, occupation and date of death be inserted under his wife’s details. This was done; the grave is located in the Church of England section of Melbourne General Cemetery.
- Writers:
- Harris, Helen Doxford
- Date written:
- 1992
- Last updated:
- 2011
