Robert Silvers Black (1860 – 30 March 1934) was mine manager of Kalgurli Mines .
History
Black was a son of William Black, of
Milburn, in
Otago, New Zealand
Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government regi ...
, and born in nearby
Milton
Milton may refer to:
Names
* Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname)
** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet
* Milton (given name)
** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...
.
He was educated at several public and private schools, and joined the
National Bank, where for a year in 1880/1881 he was involved in the assay and smelting office, then returned to regular banking for seventeen years, serving in various managerial positions.
[
He left for ]Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
around 1890, to take up a position as general director of a company on the newly developed Zeehan
Zeehan is a town on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia south-west of Burnie. It is part of the West Coast Council, along with the seaport Strahan, and neighbouring mining towns of Dundas, Rosebery and Queenstown.
History
The greater ...
silver fields.[
In 1895 he left Tasmania for ]Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
, to take up a position as manager of the Londonderry mine near Coolgardie, and held that position until 1898, when he resigned to manage the group of mines owned by the English Octagon Explorers syndicate, which included the Crusoe, Friday, Menzies Consolidated, Block 45 and Kalgurli United mines at Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area includ ...
.[
When in 1901 Octagon Explorers surrendered their lease 879E, the four sections were picked up by Black.
In April 1900 he succeeded Charles S. Stafford as managing director of Kalgurli and Hainault mines and held that position until 1903, when ill-health forced him to resign.
From 1903 to 1907 he lived in Melbourne and in New Zealand, then accepted a call by the Kalgurli company to return to Kalgoorlie, where he would manage the Kalgurli and Archie Hay the Hainault, following the retirement of general manager ]Frank A. Moss
Francis Ambrose Moss (1862 – 30 July 1940) was a mine manager in Perth, Western Australia.
History
Moss was born at Mount Barker, South Australia to Simeon Moss (c. 1821 – 15 September 1903) and his wife Annie Moss, née Thompson (c. 1825 ...
.
By 1917 the Kalgurli mine was barely profitable and by 1920 was practically worked out, and most of the ore processed was for tribute
A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of land which the state conqu ...
rs working other mines. In November 1921 he retired to Perth, farewelled by a few friends. He had developed an interest in the pastoral life, and with his son Robin took over Atley Station near Sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
, raising sheep. He also had Roy Hill station, which he relinquished around 1925. By 1940 Atley Station was in the hands of Phil Broadhurst.
He died in a Perth private hospital in 1934 after a short illness, aged 73 years.
Other interests
*While in Tasmania Black was one of the first members of Zeehan's Hospital Board, serving as chairman and was one of those behind erection of the new hospital building. He was the first chairman of the School of Mines and chairman of the Cemetery Trust. He was an active investor in mining ventures and a Justice of the Peace.[
*He was a member of the Coolgardie Racing Club, and served as its timekeeper; the Western Australia Turf Club, and a committee member to 1900; the ]Kalgoorlie Racing Club
Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area include ...
and a member if its committee;
*He was in 1918 appointed a member of the State Repatriation Board.
*Mrs Black was head of training, Senior Cadets, a branch of the Girl Guides Association.
*Black was a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining Engineers
The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) provides services to professionals engaged in all facets of the global minerals sector and is based in Carlton, Victoria, Australia.
History
The Institute had its genesis in 1893 with ...
and its president in 1917, the Chamber of Mines of Western Australia, of which he was vice-president for several years, and the American Institute of Mining Engineers.
*He was a member of the Melbourne Club
The Melbourne Club is a private social club established in 1838 and located at 36 Collins Street, Melbourne.
The club is a symbol of Australia's British social heritage and was established at a gathering of 23 gentlemen on Saturday, 17 Decembe ...
.
Family
Black married Ellinor Archer (c. 1866 – 24 January 1902) on 13 January 1898. On 11 June 1903 he married again, to Emily Louisa Browne, fourth daughter of T. A. Browne, better known as "Rolf Boldrewood", author of ''Robbery Under Arms''. Children from those unions include:
*Ellinor Black (1 January 1899 – 23 October 1901) died in Bagshot
Bagshot is a town in the Surrey Heath borough of Surrey, England, approximately southwest of central London. In the past, Bagshot served as an important staging post between London, Southampton and the West Country, evidenced by the original c ...
, England
*Robert Montague "Robin" Black (27 May 1900 – ) married Ellen Mary "Nell" Manford, eldest daughter of Frank Manford, on 6 February 1935. In partnership with his father, he owned Atley Station, where, after the death of his father, his mother and sister Judith would spend the winter.
*Ellinor Black (c. 1901 – 14 April 1904) died at Woodend, Victoria
Woodend ()
is a town in Victoria, Australia. The town is in the Shire of Macedon Ranges local government area on Dja Dja Wurrung country and is bypassed to the east and north by the Calder Freeway (M79), located about halfway between Melbourne a ...
*Judith Emily Black (5 April 1904 – ), socialite, was engaged to be married in early 1936 to John Yorke Birch Sharpe of the Royal Artillery.
*Hubert Silvers Black (17 January 1906 – 22 October 1985) married Margaret Moira Bryans (died c. 1942) on 11 October 1933. He married again, to war widow (of Peter Macdonald, son of Duncan Macdonald MLA) Orme Augusta Marsh Macdonald, née Bell (18 May 1914 – 11 February 2008), of Boonah, Queensland
Boonah is a rural town and locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Boonah had a population of 2,484 people.
Geography
The town is positioned near the Fassifern Valley, McPherson Range and Main Range ...
on 21 January 1947. He was a solicitor in the firm of Blake and Riggall, Melbourne.
*Marjory Lilian Black (12 February 1907 – ) perhaps married Thomas George Arbuthnot (1911 – 25 February 1988) of Bonnie Doon, Victoria
Bonnie Doon is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Maroondah Highway, in the Shire of Mansfield. Bonnie Doon is 168 kilometres north-east from Melbourne. At the 2016 census, Bonnie Doon township had a population of 570.
Histo ...
His sister Edith Helen Black married Robert Gordon Hyndman at Melton, New Zealand on 29 December 1891.
Thomas Glasgow Black (died 7 October 1915), William Hugh Black, and Robert Black, butchers of Kalgoorlie, were his brothers.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Robert
1860 births
1934 deaths
Australian mine managers
People from Milton, New Zealand