Researching George Brand

Born in Perthshire, Scotland around 1820, Brand married Isabella Duncan in January 1840. Over the next seven years they had three sons and one daughter. Brand was working as a carter in 1852 when he was convicted of theft at Edinburgh. Erickson (1983) claims "Brand's occupation as a carter presented opportunities for picking up stray articles. He succumbed to temptation...."

Brand was sentenced to 14 years' transportation, and arrived in Western Australia on board the Stag in June 1855. He received his ticket of leave the following year, and took up employment in the Greenough area. By the time he received his conditional pardon in August 1859, his wife and children had emigrated to the colony to join him. A fifth child was born in 1861.

In 1867 Brand bought of land at Bootenal Reserve near Dongara. The family worked to establish a farm there, and later became active in the district's civic affairs. George Brand died in 1872. Each of his sons later became successful farmers in the district, and every one of his children married out of the convict class. This was unusual for the time, when the social stigma of being a convict created barriers between the social classes of "bond" and "free". Brand's great-grandson David Brand (1912–1979) became the longest-serving Premier of Western Australia and was knighted KCMG in 1969.

Brand was born in Kalgoorlie to Brigid Katherine (née Dowd) and George Brand. He attended Eastern Goldfields High School and then began working as a clerk for Western Australian Government Railways. He later joined his father's freight business. Brand enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in 1943 (after previous service with the Citizens Military Forces), and during the war served in transport and supply units. He was discharged in 1945 and returned to the family business, taking it over completely following the death of his father in 1957.

In 1955, Brand was elected to the Kalgoorlie Municipal Council, where he served until 1965. He first stood for parliament at the 1956 state election, but was defeated in the seat of Kalgoorlie by Tom Evans of the Labor Party. Brand contested the Legislative Council at the 1965 state election, winning the newly created Lower North Province against David Dellar (the Labor member for the abolished North-East Province). He served a single six-year term, losing his seat by just four votes at the 1971 election to Stan Dellar, the son of his 1965 opponent. Brand eventually retired to Shepparton, Victoria, dying there in 1997.