Alfred Corker Minchin
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Alfred Corker Minchin (24 September 1857 – 20 September 1934) was director of the Adelaide Zoological Gardens from 1893 to 1934.


History

Minchin was born in
Geelong, Victoria Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, a ...
to
Richard Ernest Minchin Richard Ernest Minchin (5 March 1831 – 4 January 1893), generally known as R. E. Minchin, was a zoo administrator and artist in South Australia. History Minchin was the eighth son of Mary Anne (Wright) and the (Anglican) Rev. William Minchin, ...
(5 March 1831 – 4 January 1893), founder of the Adelaide Zoo, and his first wife Ellen Rebecca Minchin, née Ocock (died 6 July 1882). He accompanied his parents to Western Australia with the gold boom, and they then settled in South Australia where his father had secured a clerical position in the public service and he attended the
North Adelaide Grammar School 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 ...
. He worked for a time at the office of Green & Co., then in a sharebroking business before his father was appointed director of the zoological garden and decided to join him. He spent some time at the Melbourne Zoo gaining experience in animal management. He was present at the Zoo's official opening by the Governor, Sir William Robinson, in 1879, and worked as assistant to his father, acting as director during his father's several overseas trips in search of interesting specimens. He was successful in finding wealthy sponsors such as Thomas Elder, who funded the great rotunda. He purchased the Zoo's first elephant, "Miss Siam", and greatly enlarged the lion and tiger enclosures and the deer park. He developed the bird collection, especially of Australian species, into one of the best in Australia. He died at home, having been confined to his room with heart trouble since June. His remains were interred at the
North Road Cemetery North Road Cemetery is located in the Adelaide suburb of Nailsworth, approximately 5 km north of the central business district. It is 7.3 hectares (18 acres) in size and there have been over 26,000 burials since its foundation in 1853. Th ...
. The zoo's green
Amazon parrot Amazon parrots are parrots in the genus ''Amazona''. They are medium-sized, short-tailed parrots native to the Americas, with their range extending from South America to Mexico and the Caribbean. ''Amazona'' is one of the 92 genera of parrots t ...
was the only animal to outlive his tenure, having been purchased by his father.


Family

Minchin married Florence Euphemia Scammell (1888–1950), a daughter of Luther Scammell, on 9 October 1888. They had three children.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minchin, Alfred C. 1857 births 1934 deaths Zoo directors Adelaide Zoo People from the Colony of Victoria