William Bland qualified in England as a medical practitioner and then joined the navy. While serving in Bombay, he fatally wounded another man in a duel and was subsequently found guilty of murder and sentenced to seven years transportation. As a convict, Bland worked at the Castle Hill asylum in Sydney and, after obtaining his freedom, set up in private practice. Bland was incarcerated again in 1818 after being found guilty of libel against Governor Lachlan Macquarie. At the conclusion of his sentence, he returned to private practice and also worked extensively for the Benevolent Society.
According to Bland's Australian Dictionary of Biography entry, he was highly regarded as a philanthropist, was 'a regular patron of literary workers', and helped in the establishment of the Sydney School of Arts and Mechanics' Institute. He was also active in political and legal affairs. 'Bland edited the Journey of Discovery to Port Phillip, New South Wales; by Messrs W. H. Hovell and Hamilton Hume in 1824 and 1825 (Sydney, 1831), and published New South Wales: Review of the Examination of Mr James Macarthur's Work (1839); and some of his letters to governors were printed.'
Upon his death in 1868, Bland was accorded a state funeral. His portrait hangs in the Mitchell Library, Sydney.
Source: John Cobley, 'Bland, William (1789–1868)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bland-william-1793/text2027, published in hardcopy 1966, accessed online 8 April 2014.
