Australian Dictionary of Biography

Thomas Martin Sloman (1811-1902), banker and pastoralist, was born on 29 May 1811 at Exeter, England, the eldest son of Samuel George Sloman. He was educated at Ottery St Mary's with the intention of entering the ministry of the Church of England. However, he changed his mind and became a midshipman with the East India Co. In November 1833 he arrived in Sydney in the Ann, bringing letters of introduction to Rev. Samuel Marsden.

For nine months he worked at Rev. Thomas Hassall's station at Jerry's Plains, and then entered into partnership with Sydney Jamieson Watson on the cattle station, Kill-me-cat, on the Tumut River. He dissolved this partnership in 1835 and next year, when he went to Bathurst to inspect sheep owned by Hassall, he was persuaded to accept the position of accountant in the Bathurst Bank. In 1840, when the Union Bank took over this bank, he was offered the position of manager, but declined. He had an interest in the business of John Lipscombe until 1840, when he joined J. J. Ashe in the firm of Sloman & Ashe. Four years later this partnership was dissolved and he made a trip to England, returning in 1846. He then became a partner with an auctioneer, Tress. In 1848 he bought half shares in Meadows Station, near Wellington, and Belaringar and Dundallamal on the lower Macquarie River. He later sold these interests to David Baird. When All Saints' Church, Bathurst, was completed in 1849 he organized a fund for a peal of bells. In 1851 he dissolved his partnership with Tress, went to England, and watched the casting of the bells at Loughborough; he returned in 1852.

In September 1855 he married Amelia Tregenna Henning at St Paul's Church, Chippendale. In 1858 he was a partner of Thomas Woolley in an ironmonger's business in Sydney. In the 1860s he held several properties in the Wellington district, and made trips to New Zealand with loads of cattle. He returned to banking in 1872 when be became manager of the Bathurst branch of the Savings Bank of New South Wales, a post he filled for twenty-five years; the branch was popularly known as Sloman's Bank. During those years he took an active part in the public life of Bathurst. He was a trustee of All Saints' Cathedral, a churchwarden, one of the original council of trustees of All Saints' College (1873-84), an alderman, and a worker for most charitable movements.

As a young man he was a fine athlete. All his life was guided by Christian principles, and he was scrupulously honest in his varied business activities. His work for the Bathurst cathedral was outstanding, and his name is on the foundation stone. On his ninetieth birthday he was presented with an illuminated address by the citizens of Bathurst. He spent his later years writing of the events and worthy citizens of that town. He died at his son's home at Dubbo on 3 August 1902. There were nine children.