Cincinnatus Fabian D’Abreo was an administrator and politician in
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
,
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
.
Biography
He was born on 24 September 1862. His father, Manuel D’Abreo had migrated to
Sindh
Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
in 1846. Cincinnatus was married to Maggie Gomes with whom he had five children, Joe, Maggie, Alfred, Gwennie and Bill.
He was educated at
St Patrick's High School, Karachi
, motto_translation = Through hardships to the stars
, location = Saddar Town, Sindh
, city = Karachi
, province =
, country = Pakistan
, coordinates =
, established =
, found ...
. However, he had to discontinue his studies at the age of 16 and earn a living, due to the unfortunate death of his father. He was first employed by the
Civil and Military Gazette
''The Civil and Military Gazette'' was a daily English-language newspaper founded in 1872 in British India. It was published from Lahore, Simla and Karachi, some times simultaneously, until its closure in 1963.[Sukkur
Sukkur (; ) is a city in the Pakistani province of Sindh along the western bank of the Indus River, directly across from the historic city of Rohri. Sukkur is the third largest city in Sindh after Karachi and Hyderabad, and 14th largest ci ...]
and finally was elected president of the municipality.
In 1897 he returned to Karachi, where he occupied various posts such as assistant collector of customs, and shipping master. He was appointed acting collector of customs on two occasions. He was a councillor of
Karachi Municipality for many years and made a remarkable contribution to civic life in Karachi.
D’Abreo was instrumental in starting the
Karachi Goan Association
Karachi Goan Association is a social and sports club in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
Early history
In 1887 the foundation stone of the Goa-Portuguese Association building was laid, and in 1888 an imposing building was completed at a cost of Rs. 14, ...
. He also played a part in the launch of the Indian Flour Mills, the Union Press, and the
Indian Life Assurance Company, of which he was secretary for many years. He was also one of the directors of the Karachi Building and Development Company.
In 1917 he retired from service and devoted himself to various social activities. He was held in high esteem by the people of Karachi, who named him among the 12 leading citizens of Sindh. He died on 25 January 1929.
D'Abreo acquired of land outside the cantonment. In 1908, this was developed into Karachi's first planned township named
Cincinnatus Town Cincinnatus Town was initially a Christian neighborhood in Jamshed Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
The planners
Cincinnatus Fabian D'Abreo, Pedro D'Souza and his colleague George Britto, the town planners designed Cincinnatus Town, with its front ...
, which today forms part of
Garden East
Garden East ( ur, گارڈ ن ایسٹ ) is a neighborhood in Karachi East district of Karachi, Pakistan. It is administered as part of Jamshed Town, which was disbanded in 2011 but later restored in early 2022.
This area surrounds the Karac ...
.
[Pithawalla, Maneck Bejan. An introduction to Karachi : its environs and hinterland. Karachi : Times Press, 1950.]
References
Goa politicians
People of British India
1862 births
1929 deaths
People of Portuguese India
St. Patrick's High School, Karachi alumni
Politicians from Karachi
Indian Roman Catholics
Pakistani Roman Catholics
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