Thomas Reibey has been written of as the "Father of Carrick". Reibey was instrumental in construction of the Church, the racecourse and other, now heritage listed, buildings in the town. He donated over 10,000 pounds for the construction of the town's Anglican church, a very large sum for the time, and was appointed as the Archdeacon of Launceston in 1858. Reibey was elected to the House of Assembly seat of Westbury in 1874. He held the seat for 30 years and was the Premier of Tasmania from 20 July 1876 until 9 August 1877. Reibey was an avid horse trainer. His horse "Stockwell" won the 1882 Launceston Cup, the Carrick Plate in 1881 and came second in the Melbourne Cup.