Family background
Thomas Soutter Harwood was born in 1811 at London, England, son of Robert Harwood and Mary nee Soutter. He married Eliza Street at Sydney in 1836. He died at Ultimo on 4 May 1883, aged 72 years. Eliza Harwood died on 6 February 1884.
Occupation & interests
Harwood called himself a surveyor, though he is not on the list of licensed NSW surveyors. He left an estate of 3,975 pounds sworn for probate purposes.
Community activity
At the formative meeting of the Glebe Volunteer Rifles at the University Hotel on 31 August 1860 Harwood spoke at length about the virtues of the volunteer movement. Years later at Glebe Council in January 1868 he moved that council meetings be held at 7.30pm instead of 4.30. His motion failed, and 4.30pm remained the starting time.
Local government service
Thomas Harwood was an alderman on Glebe Council from 1861 to 1868. He moved in 1868 that Glebe Council vote the sum of 50 pounds to be expended on a reception for the Duke of Edinburgh after he laid the foundation stone at St John’s, Bishopthorpe on condition an equal amount was contributed by the Government. It did not happen because of an attempted assassination of the Duke at Clontarf.
References
Glebe Municipal Council minutes, 13 January 1868, p. 367
Sydney Morning Herald, 1 September 1860, p. 5
Sydney Morning Herald, 13 February 1862, p. 4
Sydney Morning Herald, 7 February 1963, p. 2
Sydney Morning Herald, 11 March 1868, p. 3
Sydney Morning Herald, 5 May 1883, p. 1