George Elphinstone Dalrymple
| George Dalrymple | |
|---|---|
| File:George Augustus Frederick Elphinstone Dalrymple.jpg | |
| Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Kennedy |
|
| In office 18 March 1865 – 19 July 1867 |
|
| Preceded by | New seat |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Henry FitzGerald |
| Personal details | |
| Born | George Augustus Frederick Elphinstone Dalrymple 6 May 1826 Aberdeenshire, Scotland |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. St Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex, England |
| Resting place | Hastings Cemetery |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Spouse(s) | Unmarried |
| Occupation | Explorer, Goldfields Commissioner, Station manager |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
George Augustus Frederick Elphinstone Dalrymple (6 May 1826 – 22 January 1876)[1] was an explorer, public servant and politician, member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland.
Early life
Dalrymple was born in Scotland the tenth son of Sir Robert Dalrymple Horn Elphinstone, Bart., by his marriage with Graeme, daughter of Colonel David Hepburn.[1]
Exploration in Queensland
He arrived in Australia in 1857 and travelled to the Darling Downs hoping to acquire land. In 1859 he led an expedition to explore the Burdekin River catchment. This group included Ernest Henry, Philip Sellheim, Henry Stone and Richard Haughton which left Rockhampton to explore the Kennedy district. This district was in New South Wales when he left but part of Queensland, when he returned, having been declared a separate colony.
Before his departure the New South Wales Government had proclaimed the districts of Kennedy and Mitchell for settlement, which was rescinded by the new Queensland cabinet.
The party traveled west through the region and then north to the Valley of Lagoons, making surveys on the Burdekin and Suttor Rivers. These surveys were conducted to mark out promising runs for sheep.
In 1860 he accompanied Lieutenant J. W. Smith on a voyage of the Spitfire which examined many of the islands off the coast and discovered the O'Connell River, among other features.
Dalrymple was part of the company that established the Valley of Lagoons Station in 1862 after the area was opened up by the government. A partnership formed between Walter Jervoise Scott, his brother Arthur, Dalrymple and Robert Herbert (then Premier of Queensland) financed the acquisition of the leasehold. The partnership became Scott Bros, Dalrymple & Company with Dalrymple acting as manager.[2]
In October, 1871, Dalrymple was appointed Assistant Gold Commissioner for the Gilbert Ranges, and was also Police Magistrate for Western Creek, in the Bourke District. But the gold-field shortly afterwards collapsed. Then the Government asked him to mark a road from Cardwell over the Main Range. This he succeeded in doing, but from the exposure to which he was then subjected he contracted an illness from which he never completely recovered, and which eventually led to his death. On the 9th September, 1873, he departed on his final expedition to explore the north-east coast from Cardwell to the Endeavour River, accompanied by Walter Hill, Curator of the Botanic Gardens, also by Sub-inspector Johnstone, and others. It was on this trip that the Johnstone, the Mossman, and the Daintree Rivers were explored, and the rich and extensive alluvial lands of the Johnstone were then first discovered. Dalrymple became very ill on this expedition, andwas granted leave of absence for some months after his return. Having partially recovered, he was sent to Somerset as Government Resident, but became dangerously ill after two months, and would have died at that time had not the Torres Straits mail steamer taken him away and given him the benefit of medical attention. His illness, however, was of a protracted nature, and the Government gave him a year's leave of absence, on full pay, to enable him to visit England, in tho hope of the trip restoring him again to health; but it failed to produce in him any permanent benefit, and he was never well enough to return to the colony.[3]
Politics
From 1865 to 1866 he served as the first member for the Kennedy district in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland under Robert Herbert as colonial secretary.[1]
Later life
Having spent about two years in England trying to recover from his illness, Dalrymple died in St. Leonards, Sussex, England and is buried in Hastings Cemetery.[3][4]
Legacy
The now-abandoned township of Dalrymple, Queensland was named after him,[5] as was the Shire of Dalrymple and the County of Dalrymple.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Mennell, Philip (1892). "
Dalrymple, George Augustus Frederick Elphinstone". The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co. Wikisource - ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ The Remarkable Story Behind an Unremarkable Gravestone — Friends of Hastings Cemetery. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- "Taming the Wilderness", Anne Allingham, Published by the James Cook University of Queensland, 1978 ISBN 0-909714-46-0
- Townsville Daily Bulletin 19 April 1938
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| Parliament of Queensland | ||
|---|---|---|
| New seat | Member for Kennedy 1865–1867 |
Succeeded by Thomas Henry FitzGerald |
