Walter Vardon Ralston (August 1840 – 14 October 1920) was an Australian banker.

History

Ralston was born in Melbourne, Victoria, a son of Gavan Ralston, but grew up in New Zealand, where he was educated. He returned to Australia as a teenager, settling in Queensland, where he worked on William Forrest's Mount Hutton cattle station, near

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

. He was later employed as manager of Forrest's Mount Larcom cattle station, near Gladstone, but suffered from "ague" (perhaps

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

), and around 1868 returned to Melbourne, where he found employment with the London Chartered Bank of Australia, followed by the

National Bank of Australasia The National Bank of Australasia was a bank based in Melbourne. It was established in 1858, and in 1982 merged with the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney to form National Australia Bank. History In 1858, Alexander Gibb, a Melbourne gentlema ...

. In 1874 he returned to Brisbane, where he worked as a teller at the

Queensland National Bank The Queensland National Bank is a former bank in Queensland, Australia. History In 1872, the bank was established in Brisbane. In December 1914, the bank had its head office in Brisbane with branches throughout Queensland at Allora, Aramac, A ...

, and later opened branches at Dalby, Tambo, and Cunnamulla. In 1881 he was appointed manager of the branch at

Cooktown Cooktown is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repai ...

, and in 1888 promoted to the

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

branch and in 1895 Rockhampton and in 1897 was acting manager at head office, Brisbane, made permanent the following year as successor to

Edward Robert Drury Edward Robert Drury (1832–1896) was a banker in Queensland, Australia. He was the first general manager of the Queensland National Bank which played a major role in Queensland finance in the late 19th century. Early life Edward Robert Drury w ...

CMG. His task as general manager was reconstruction of the bank, which had suffered greatly in the 1893 banking crisis. One of his innovations was the establishment of interminable inscribed stock, an important milestone in Australian banking history, and reinforced the bank's role in the development of the Colony and State of Queensland. He was considered a top authority on financial matters, and was consulted by several State Treasurers and other politicians on likely consequences of implementation of policies. His reputation and influence extended beyond Queensland's borders: his advice was sought on Commonwealth banknote issue, and he was considered for appointment as the first governor of the Commonwealth Bank, but Denison Miller was the eventual appointment.

Other activities

Like his predecessor Drury, Ralston was actively involved in the country's defence. He served in the rank of major in both the Queensland Defence Forces and later the Commonwealth Military Force. He died in his sleep after a few weeks' indisposition, though not severe enough to affect his work schedule until the last week. His remains were buried at the

Toowong Cemetery Toowong Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on the corner of Frederick Street and Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland's largest ceme ...

Family

Ralston married Julia Mary Cormack, of

Dalby, Queensland Dalby () is a rural town and locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Dalby had a population of 12,719 people. It is on the Darling Downs and is the administrative centre for the Western Downs Re ...

on 2 October 1875. They had a residence on Kedron Brook Road,

Eildon Hill Eildon Hill lies just south of Melrose, Scotland in the Scottish Borders, overlooking the town. The name is usually pluralised into "the Eildons" or "Eildon Hills", because of its triple peak. The high eminence overlooks Teviotdale to the South ...

, Brisbane. There were no children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ralston, Walter Vardon 1840 births 1920 deaths Australian bankers