Frederick Eccleston du Faur (1832–1915), environmentalist, public servant and arts patron, came to Australia from his native London in 1853. In Sydney, he worked as a draftsman for the NSW Railway Department, the Surveyor-General's Office and the Crown Lands Office. After leaving the public service in 1881, he was a land agent for twenty years while actively pursuing other projects, not the least of which was the mapping of New South Wales. He funded an expedition to ascertain the fate of Ludwig Leichhardt; conducted research into feral pest eradication; and was among the first to examine the link between Australia's climate and that of Antarctica. As a member of the Australian & New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science, he encouraged Antarctic exploration and served on the committee that helped raised funds for Douglas Mawson's 1911 expedition. In the 1870s Du Faur acquired land at Mount Wilson in the Blue Mountains and became an advocate for the protection of the Grose Valley. In 1875 he organised a sketching expedition, during which artists such as William Charles Piguenit made views of the surrounding scenery. Following his move to Turramurra, he worked tirelessly for the conservation of Ku-ring-gai Chase and was appointed managing trustee on the area’s dedication as a National Park in 1894. Du Faur was also a founding member of the New South Wales Academy of Art and served as a trustee of the National Art Gallery (the Art Gallery of New South Wales) from its foundation in 1876 until his death.
