Soon after his arrival in Australia, John Wetherspoon began working as a shepherd in the New England district of New South Wales (NSW). By the age of 24 he had worked his way up to the position of Overseer of Trinkey station on the Liverpool Plains. He was granted 100 acres of land near Glen Innes, NSW, that he eventually developed into a 1,600-acre holding he named Glencoe. Wetherspoon became President of the Glen Innes Pastoral and Agricultural Society in 1888, and was also a high-ranking member of the Farmers and Settlers' Association executive. He was one of the instigators of the Glen Innes Experimental Farm (1902). His other positions included being a member of the Severn Shire Council (1906), director of the Glen Innes Pastures Protection Board (1907-1928) and the Land newspaper company (1911-1914). After a couple of electoral defeats, he became a member of the Legislative Council in 1908. In his later years Wetherspoon help found the local New England Caledonian Society and was an active member of its executive.
