George Raff

Who was George Raff?

George Raff was a merchant, sugar grower and politician born in Forres, Morayshire, Scotland who spent a substantial part of his life in Australia.

Born to James Raff, a farmer and peasant, and Margaret Raff, née Cumming, little is known about Raff's early years. He left for Sydney aboard the Earl Durham, and arrived on 2 January 1839. Soon after arriving, he found employment with Lamb, Parbury & Co., founded by John de Villiers Lamb and his brother. He remained there, with that employment, for several years, before, in 1842-1843, he held Tarwin station, Gippsland. Around that time, on 14 April 1843, Raff married Harriet Sealy, daughter of Robert Bourne, a retired missionary whom he knew and was associated with in Gippsland.

In January 1851, Raff returned to Australia, and then moved to Brisbane, Queensland. Soon thereafter he founded both the George Raff & Co., and, a short time later, the Queensland Mercantile and Agency Co. He worked with both of these companies for ten years, before he became director of the Queensland Steam Navigation Co. Because of his close involvement with these significant enterprises, Raff was the main substantiator of the wool trade between Brisbane and London.