Born 1841 Newry, County Down, Ireland Occupation Surveyor, public servant Died 18 October 1924, Melbourne, Australia | ||
Gilbert Rotherdale McMinn FRGS (1841 – 18 October 1924) was an Australian surveyor born in Ireland, noted for his work in the Northern Territory. His middle name is occasionally spelt "Rutherdale".
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Early life
McMinn was born in Newry, County Down. He was the son of a bank manager, Joseph McMinn (c. 1794 – 6 April 1874) and his wife Martha, née Hamill or Hammill (c. 1805 – 13 December 1861), who sailed with their eight children aboard the Albatross and arrived at Port Adelaide in September 1850. Upon leaving school Gilbert took up surveying.
Later life and death
Gilbert McMinn was one of ten surveyors and a support crew of around 100 men, under Surveyor-General George Goyder and Dr. Robert Peel, who left Adelaide for Port Darwin shortly after Christmas 1868 to survey Palmerston and regions, and most of whom returned to Adelaide on 25 November 1869.
McMinn worked as a surveyor on the Overland Telegraph Line. In February 1871 he was the first European to visit Simpsons Gap, which he identified as a better route for the line. He served in various senior public service positions in the Northern Territory. He was acting Administrator of the Northern Territory from March 1883 to March 1884.
McMinn left Darwin for the east coast of Australia around 1890 and settled in Hawthorn, Victoria; he died in Mary Street, St. Kilda, Victoria on 18 October 1924 after a sudden heart failure at the age of 83. McMinn Street, a major thoroughfare in Darwin, is named after him. Rothdale Road, Casuarina, Northern Territory was (mis)named for him.
Family
On 28 November 1874 in Port Darwin, McMinn married his first wife, Anna Gore. He married again on 15 November 1884 to Madge Fleetwood-Marsh. He had three sons and two daughters. Among their children were:
One of his brothers, William McMinn, was a noted Adelaide architect.