Mr. Herbert Hocking, J.P., was born on 19 March 1850 in Adelaide, South Australia. He married Eliza Smillie Ryder in 1876 at the residence of Joseph Ryder in Noarlunga, South Australia, and they had nine children together. In 1919, he married Grace Maud Voysey in Perth, Western Australia.
Hocking was a prominent figure in Perth's stock broking circles and was actively involved in social welfare and benevolent activities. He served on the Perth Road Board from 1899 to 1904.
As a local landowner, he was the first chairman of the Wanneroo Road Board and served as a member from 1903 to 1931. He also held the position of treasurer of the Agricultural Society in 1909. The suburb of Hocking was named in his honour.
He passed away on 26 August 1932 in Perth, Western Australia, at the age of 82.
