Abraham Shannon (15 March 1869 – 24 October 1945) was a pastoralist in South Australia, a substantial donor to philanthropic and patriotic causes.

History

Shannon was born at

Stockwell, South Australia Stockwell is a settlement in South Australia. At the , Stockwell had a population of 534. Stockwell is named after Samuel Stockwell, an early landowner in the area. Stockwell was a station on the Truro railway line The Barossa Valley railway ...

David Shannon David Shannon (born October 5, 1959) is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. Shannon grew up in Spokane, Washington. He graduated from the Art Center College of Design and now lives in Los Angeles. In 1998 he won the Caldecott ...

MHA (1822–1875) and his second wife Martha Shannon, née Davison (c. 1827–1917). He was educated at

Whinham College North Adelaide Grammar School, later Whinham College was a private school operated in North Adelaide, South Australia by John Whinham (3 August 1803 – 13 March 1886) and his family. History John Whinham The founder of the school was born at Sh ...

and was a successful pastoralist, concentrating on wheat and sheep. He died suddenly at his property, "Kingscourt", near

Eudunda Eudunda is a rural town in South Australia, roughly 103 kilometres northeast of Adelaide, established in 1870 after settlers began moving into the area in the 1860s. As of the 2006 census, Eudunda had a population of 640. Eudunda is in the Regio ...

, at the age of 76.

Contributions

His contributions to philanthropic and patriotic causes include: *During the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

he visited South Africa to investigate the conditions of sick and wounded troops, and paid for their hotel accommodation in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

and

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

and other expenses incurred while recuperating. *During the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, having been rejected for active service, he went to England at his own expense and did voluntary war work, going to France, and working at many of the hospitals, with the honorary rank of captain in the

Australian Red Cross The Australian Red Cross, formally the Australian Red Cross Society, is a humanitarian aid and community services charity in Australia. Tracing its history back to 1923 and being incorporated by royal charter in 1941, the Australian Red Cros ...

. *He donated the prize for Eudunda's annual band competitions. *He provided the funds in 1929 to set up a new school in the district. *He started a memorial fund for

Anderson Anderson or Andersson may refer to: Companies * Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910 * Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car * Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer * Anderson Ra ...

and Hitchcock, who died while searching for

Charles Kingsford Smith Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith (9 February 18978 November 1935), nicknamed Smithy, was an Australian aviation pioneer. He piloted the first transpacific flight and the first flight between Australia and New Zealand. Kingsford Smith was b ...

, who had been reported missing. (Anderson had been forced by engine trouble to land his 'plane "

Kookaburra Kookaburras are terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus ''Dacelo'' native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between in length and weigh around . The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri ''guuguubarra'', onomatopoeic of its call. The ...

" in the

Tanami Desert The Tanami Desert is a desert in northern Australia, situated in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It has a rocky terrain with small hills, and cacti. The Tanami was the Northern Territory's final frontier and was not fully explored b ...

and subsequently perished.) Shannon considered Anderson's risky search for his once-friend particularly noble. He never married and had no children. His estate was valued at between £35,000 and £40,000 (many tens of millions in today's currency). In his will he left: *£100 each to Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League of Australia (SA branch), Legacy Club of Adelaide; Toc H (South Australia);

Adelaide Children's Hospital The Women's and Children's Hospital is located on King William Road in North Adelaide, Australia. It is one of the major hospitals in Adelaide and is a teaching hospital of the University of Adelaide, the University of South Australia and Flin ...

; Tubercular Soldiers' Aid Society; Angorichina Blinded Soldiers Association of SA; Boy Scouts Association of SA; Salvation Army;

Australian Inland Mission The Australian Presbyterian Mission was founded by the Presbyterian Church of Australia to reach those "beyond the farthest fence" with God's Word. It is better known as the Australian Inland Mission (AIM). Rev. John Flynn was the first superi ...

(specifically for the Flying Doctors); SA Institution for the Blind and Deaf and Dumb at Brighton; and Congregational Church at Truro. *£50 each to 5CL ("Twinkler") Boys' Club and Girl Guides' Association of SA. *His gold tiepin with diamonds and ruby crown to the Premier, Thomas Playford. He was awarded the OBE for his services, and was presented to King Edward VII. In 1929 he was awarded the Returned Soldiers' League certificate of merit, the highest honor given to non-members.

Family

MHA (28 March 1822 – 9 September 1875) followed his brother Abraham Shannon to South Australia, arriving in either 1838, 1839, or on ''John Pirie'' in 1843. died at "Yatara", near

between Kapunda and Truro. He married twice, had five sons and two daughters. By first wife Sarah née Kelly (died 8 August 1860): :*William Moore Shannon (c. 1856 – 24 April 1940) married Janet Inglis Kelly (10 August 1855 – 14 November 1913) in 1880 :*James Kelly Shannon ( – June 1922) married Christina Scott (c. 1859 – 6 October 1950) on 1 September 1881 :He married again, to Martha Davison (c. 1827 – 12 April 1917) on 19 March 1861 :*Sarah Shannon (10 March 1863 – 20 November 1941) married Arnold E. Davey on 20 June 1883 :*Jane Shannon (11 October 1864 – ) married Hermann Carl Koeppen-Wendt in 1889 :*David Hopkins Shannon, aka David Shannon jr., (1 June 1866 – 12 November 1944) married Margaret Isabel Goodchild (died around 1924). He purchased the famous Coalbrook Vale stud (home of Auraria) from

David James Dewi, Dai, Dafydd or David James may refer to: Performers *David James (actor, born 1839) (1839–1893), English stage comic and a founder of London's Vaudeville Theatre *David James (actor, born 1967) (born 1967), Australian presenter of ABC's ''P ...

, renamed it "Alba Vale". :*Abraham "Abe" Shannon (15 March 1869 – 24 October 1945) :*Robert Shannon (5 April 1871 – 1961) married Amy Jane Holbrook (1870 – 23 August 1945), daughter of John Daykin Holbrook of Underdale, on 26 February 1895. :*Maria Pauline Sophie Shannon (1874– ) See

for a more extensive list of family members.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shannon, Abe 1869 births 1945 deaths Australian pastoralists Australian philanthropists Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Colony of South Australia people