Sir George Philip Doolette (24 January 1840 – 19 January 1924), frequently referred to as George P. Doolette, was a mining entrepreneur and chairman of the Western Australian Mine Owners' Association. Doolette was born in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, and at the age of 15 emigrated with his parents George Dorham Doolette (c. 1814 – 20 June 1863) and Elizabeth "Eliza" Doolette, née Reynard (c. 1820 – 18 November 1883), to

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

on the immigrant ship ''Nashwauk,'' which came ashore near

Seaford, South Australia Seaford is a metropolitan suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It lies within the City of Onkaparinga. Seaford railway station is the southern terminus of the Seaford railway line from Adelaide railway station. Seaford is a popular surfing b ...

on 13 May 1855 and wrecked without loss of life. With experience in the softgoods trade from his youth in Ireland, Doolette joined the drapery firm of A. Macgeorge & Co.,

King William Street, Adelaide King William Street is the part of a major arterial road that traverses the central business district, CBD and Adelaide city centre, centre of Adelaide, continuing as King William Road to the north of North Terrace, Adelaide, North Terrace and ...

, and in 1875 became the business's sole proprietor, trading as "George P. Doolette, Court and Clerical Tailors" etc., which business continued operating until 1890. He speculated in mining ventures in

Broken Hill Broken Hill is an inland mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. It is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range. It is ...

and formed the Adelaide Prospecting Party in 1893 with Sir

George Brookman Sir George Brookman KBE (15 April 1850 – 20 June 1927) was a South Australian businessman who made a fortune from a gold discovery in Western Australia, and is remembered as a generous benefactor of the South Australian School of Mines and Ind ...

and others. Doolette was also chairman or a director of many other mining companies, including Oroya Brown Hill Co. Ltd, the Great Boulder Proprietary Gold Mines Ltd and the Sons of Gwalia Ltd. Doolette was knighted in 1916. He died on 19 January 1924 at

Caterham Caterham () is a town in the Tandridge District of Surrey, England. The town is administratively divided into two: Caterham on the Hill, and Caterham Valley, which includes the main town centre in the middle of a dry valley but rises to equal ...

, England and his ashes were taken to Adelaide where they were interred in 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 ...

Family

Doolette married Mary Bartlett McEwin, daughter of orchardist George McEwin, on 9 November 1865. Mary Doolette died in 1890. Their children were: *George McEwin Doolette (1869–1888) *Dorham Longford Doolette (1872– ) *Mary Elizabeth Doolette (1876– ) On 25 September 1895 Doolette married Fanny Lillie Robinson, née Dale (died 18 August 1916).

Public life

* Justice of the peace (from 1887) * Vice-president of

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

(1884–85) * Treasurer of the

London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed in outlook, with Congregational miss ...

* President of the

Congregational Union Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

(1885–86) * Fellow of the

Royal Colonial Institute The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) is a non-governmental organisation with a mission to promote the value of the Commonwealth and the values upon which it is based. The Society upholds the values of the Commonwealth Charter, promoting confli ...

(1894) * Fellow of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

(1907)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doolette, George Philip 1840 births 1924 deaths Australian mining entrepreneurs Irish emigrants to colonial Australia Knights Bachelor Burials at North Road Cemetery Australian justices of the peace Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society Australian Congregationalists Fellows of the Royal Commonwealth Society