Portrait of the Hon. J. Baker from Panana from the S.A. Northern Pioneers' composite, 1850-1859 (shown in position on B 6912/1).

John Baker was born 28 December 1813 in South Petherton, Somerset, England and eventually emigrated to Tasmania before moving to South Australia in 1839. He imported 10,000 sheep from Tasmania for the South Australian Company. Baker initially held land to the south of Adelaide, on Lake Albert, the Coorong and on the River Murray before acquiring the Angepena Run in March 1856, where his head station was Pernunna (mistekenly called Panana in the photograph) to the north of Angepena. He also acquired Blanchewater in the same year.

He was also interested in horse breeding including daft animals and did much to improve the quality of horses in South Australia. Besides his pastoral interests he was active elsewhere in the community including being appointed the first president of the Adelaide Chamber of Commerce, President of the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society, and Lieutenant-Colonel of the Mounted Rifles. Baker was involved with the establishment of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens and had mining interests. He was a Member of the Legislative Council from 1851 for the Mount Barker district, until his death, apart from a brief period in 1861.

John Baker died 18 May 1872 at Morialta.

Baker, John, 1813-1872

Cockburn, R Pastoral pioneers of South Australia 2 v. (207; 263 p.) Adelaide : Publishers Limited, 1925-1927 ("Reprinted from the Adelaide Stock and Station Journal.") vol. 1 pp. 60-61

Morphett, George C The Bakers of Morialta: Hon. John Baker, M.L.C., J.P., F.R.G.S. and his son Sir Richard Chaffey Baker, K.C.M.G., Q.C., M.A. (Cantab) Adelaide: Pioneers' Association of S.A., 1946

Obituary. The Hon. John Baker, M.L.C. South Australian register, 21 May 1872, p. 15, col. c-f (supplement)

Death of a pioneer colonist Adelaide observer, 13 October 1894, p. 30, col. a

Australian dictionary of biography online: Baker, Richard Thomas (1854 - 1941)

Blanchewater Flinders Ranges Research

Manning Index of South Australian history: Place names of South Australia: Angepena