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AUGUSTUS CHARLES GREGORY1819 - 1905
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Augustus Gregory was born on the 1st of August 1819 at Farnsfield, Nottinghamshire, England. His father was a lieutenant in the 78th Regiment and had been wounded in action. Instead of a pension his father accepted a grant of land at Swan River and the family left England.
Augustus had 4 brothers, Joshua William Gregory, Francis (Frank) Thomas Gregory, Henry Churcham Gregory and Charles Frederick Gregory.
Augustus arrived in W.A. as a 10 year old in 1829 aboard the ship Lotus. The family were neighbours of J.S. Roe who helped Augustus get a cadetship to the Surveyor General's Department.
Augustus worked on surveying roads and property boundaries and even invented the mechanism for the a revolving light for the first lighthouse on Rottnest.
In 1846 he led two expeditions (which included his brothers Francis and Thomas) to the York and Toodyay areas then north towards the Murchison River before turning towards the coast where they found a natural harbour they named Port Gregory. The distance the expedition covered was 953 miles and took a total of 47 days to complete.
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In 1848, Augustus led settlers into the areas he had explored and in 1854 he went to Queensland where he led an expedition west all the way into the east Kimberleys.
During his extensive travels he invented a simple and reliable compass and improved the design of pack saddles so that they could carry more and better distribute the load.
In 1855 Augustus led an expedition from Moreton Bay and reached Brisbane in December 1856.
In 1858 he led an expedition in search of Ludwig Leichardt and did in fact find some traces of the lost expedition but in the end conditions forced him to turn back. It was during this last expedition that he marked the southern boundary of the new colony of Queensland which he was soon to become Surveyor General of.
On the 10th of November 1882 Augustus was appointed to the Legislative Council. In 1855 he joined the freemasons and became grand superintendent of the Royal Arch Lodge in 1891.
His other appointments consisted of being a trustee of the Queensland Museum from 1876 to 1899, member of the Aborigines commission from 1876 to 1883 and he was elected president of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science in 1895.
In 1902 he became the first mayor of Toowong. Augustus never married and died at Rainworth (his home in Brisbane) on the 25th of June 1905.
Chronology
1819 - Born August 1st at Farnsfield, Nottinghamshire, England. 1829 - Arrived in W.A aged 10. 1841 - Joined the Government Survey Office. 1846 - Led two expeditions to the York and Toodyay areas then north towards the Murchison River. 1848 - Led an expedition to follow the course of the Gascoyne River but dry weather forced the party back to Perth. 1855 - Led an expedition in Queensland. 1855 - Joined the freemasons. 1858 - Led an expedition in search of Ludwig Leichardt. 1858 - Awarded the gold medal of the Royal Geographical Society. 1859 - Appointed Surveyor General of Queensland. 1862 - Built a farm house 'Rainworth' at Rosalie in Brisbane. 1876 - Served as a trustee of the Queensland Museum until 1899. 1876 - Helped to establish the Institute of Surveyors and was foundation President. 1880 - Became a councillor of the Shire of Toowong. 1881 - Toowong shire president. President in the years 1881 - 1884, 1888 - 1890, 1895, 1898 - 1901. 1882 - Made a member of the Queensland Legislative Council. 1891 - Became grand superintendent of the Royal Arch Lodge. 1902 - Became the first mayor of Toowong. (One source says 1904). 1903 - Knighted. 1905 - Died June 25th.
The farm house Gregory built was later re-located and is now heritage listed. It is at 7 Barton Street in the suburb of Bardon.
Links to more information:
Gregory, Sir Augustus Charles (1819–1905)
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