Thomas Walker Bee (c. 1822 – 12 January 1910)[1] was a public servant in the early days of the colony of South Australia.
Bee and his wife arrived in Adelaide in 1853.[2] Within a few years Mrs Bee was advertising that she was taking young ladies for classes in French, Italian, music and other subjects at their home in Norwood.[3]
In 1855 Bee joined the South Australian civil service as a clerk with the Emigration department, handling the settlement of large numbers of single female immigrants, mostly from Ireland. It had been anticipated that they would fill the pressing need for domestic servants, but those sent out by the Emigration Commissioners were mostly unskilled and uneducated and more interested in finding husbands than in working for a living. This practice largely ceased in 1856, and Bee was appointed Relieving Officer with the Adelaide Destitute Asylum.[4] The duties of this position included investigation of the applicants for public assistance and prosecution of those supplicants found to have concealed assets or relations who could have provided support.
He resigned in March 1865 for a position with Skelton & Co,[5] elsewhere described as travelling in the South-East for G. & R. Wills, then in 1866 was appointed Inspector of Metropolitan Foot Police following the resignation of the insolvent Peterswald,[6] served to 1873 when he resigned and Peterswald resumed his old post, having in the meantime been gainfully occupied as Warden of the Barossa goldfields.Bee then served as Inspector of Public Houses 1873–1888[7]
Bee and his wife moved to South Perth, Western Australia in 1899, and lived with their son Frank. Bee died at his home, Walcott Street, North Perth.
Thomas Walker Bee married Sarah Appleyard (– 2 June 1903) before emigrating to Australia. Among their children were: