In February 1846, Bland remarried a widow, Eliza Smeathman. He continued to work as a doctor until 1868. He was the founder and first president of the Australian Medical Association in 1859. A photograph was taken of him in 1845. This is the oldest surviving Australian photograph. In 1861 he was declared a bankrupt. He died in Sydney on 21 July 1868 of pneumonia, and was given a State Funeral.