George Edmondstone (1809–1883) was politician in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia. He was a

Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly This is a list of members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, the state parliament of Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivis ...

and an

alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...

and mayor in the

Brisbane Municipal Council The Town of Brisbane was a local government area for Brisbane in Queensland, Australia from 1859 to 1903. History The Municipality of Brisbane was gazetted on 25 May 1859 and proclaimed by the Governor of New South Wales on 7 September 1859. ...

.Brisbane City Council Archives The surname is spelled 'Edmonstone' in the Brisbane City Council Archives, spelled 'Edmundston' on his father's marriage banns, spelled 'Edmondston' on his baptismal certificate and Edmondstone on his father's Testament.

Personal life

George Edmondstone was born on 4 May 1809 in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

, Scotland, the son of William Edmondstone, a naval commissary, and Alexandrina (Alixa) Farquharson daughter of a watchmaker. George's father died when he was 12 and he migrated to

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

in 1832. Later he went to Hobart Town and after some hard times began business in Sydney. He then moved to Maitland and about 1840 he took up Normanby Plains Station (near Warrill View on the

Cunningham Highway The Cunningham Highway is a national highway located in south-eastern Queensland, Australia. The highway links the Darling Downs region with the urbanised outskirts of via Cunninghams Gap. The Cunningham carries the National Highway 15 shie ...

). He sold out early in 1842 and set up as a butcher in Brisbane, hoping to profit from trade with the newly settled Darling Downs. He had married Alexis Telleray in 1837 in

(her name appears in the

records as Alexandrina Tillery, the confusion most likely stems from transcriptions of original handwritten records). George was in the first group of free settlers to arrive in Brisbane in 1840. He built a house called "Pahroombin". In his later years, George was described by his peers as a genial, amiable, old gentleman. He died in Brisbane on Friday 23 Feb 1883. His funeral notice appeared in the Brisbane Courier and said: At that time, the "General Cemetery" of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

was

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 ...

Business life

George Edmondstone had a

butchery A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale food establishm ...

in Queen Street, the main street of

Public life

George was a founding

(1859–1866) of the

and its mayor in 1863. He served on a number of committees including: * Legislative Committee 1859–1865 * Lighting Committee 1862 * Incorporation Committee 1862, 1864 * Bridge Committee 1862–1864, 1866 * Water Committee 1864 * Finance Committee 1866 * Brisbane Board of Waterworks 1874–1883 George was a

Member of the Legislative Assembly A member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to a legislative assembly. Most often, the term refers to a subnational assembly such as that of a state, province, or territory of a country. ...

(lower house) of

representing the electorate of East Moreton from 7 May 1860 to 1 July 1867. He also represented the electorate of Town of Brisbane from 10 Feb 1869 to 14 Nov 1873 and then the electorate of Wickham from 18 Nov 1873 to 28 April 1877. On 12 May 1877, George was made a life Member of the Legislative Council of

until his death on 23 Feb 1883. He made a substantial contribution to the early development of Brisbane. Amongst the initiatives that he championed were: *

Breakfast Creek The Breakfast Creek ( Aboriginal: ''Barrambin'') is a small urban stream that is a tributary of the Brisbane River, located in suburban Brisbane in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. Course and features Rising as the Enoggera Cre ...

Bridge * Brisbane General Cemetery Trust, now known as the

(where he is buried near the front gates) * A primary school in Spring Hill (today the

Brisbane Central State School Brisbane Central State School is a heritage-listed state school at Rogers Street, Spring Hill, Queensland, Spring Hill, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by architect Richard George Suter and built in 1874 by Dennis & Son ...

) * Ann Street Presbyterian ChurchAnn Street Presbyterian Church Act 1889 reprinted as in force on 1 March 1996 * As mayor in 1863-64 he had much to do with the planning of the first Brisbane bridge ( Victoria Bridge), the

First Brisbane Town Hall The Town of Brisbane was a local government area for Brisbane in Queensland, Australia from 1859 to 1903. History The Municipality of Brisbane was gazetted on 25 May 1859 and proclaimed by the Governor of New South Wales on 7 September 185 ...

and Brisbane Waterworks.

References

External links

Photo of George Edmondstone, taken 1859

Photo of George Edmondstone, taken 1863

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edmondstone, George 1809 births 1883 deaths Mayors and Lord Mayors of Brisbane Members of the Queensland Legislative Council Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Burials at Toowong Cemetery 19th-century Australian politicians Pre-Separation Queensland Australian butchers

Personal life

Business life

Public life

See also

References

External links

External links