Archibald Meston
Encyclopedia
Archibald Meston was an Australia
n politician
, civil servant, journalist
, naturalist
and explorer.
, Aberdeenshire
, Scotland
, the son of Alexander Meston.
He migrated with his parents to Sydney
in 1859, his family subsequently taking up farming at Ulmarra, New South Wales
on the Clarence River.
He married Margaret Frances Prowse Shaw in Sydney in 22 August 1871.
After a long and varied career, he retired to Brisbane where he died (a pauper) of tetanus on 11 March 1924.
Meston was survived by his wife and, out of seven children, by four sons and a daughter.
He is buried in South Brisbane Cemetery
.
. The site is now part of the University of Queensland grounds
From 1875 to 1881 he was editor of the Ipswich Observer. He was later the editor of The Toowoomba Chronicle
.
From 1878 to 1882 he represented Rosewood
in the Queensland Legislative Assembly
, where he was a strong supporter of Queensland Premier Thomas McIlwraith
.
He lost his seat when a civil court case resulted in bankruptcy.
In 1881 he moved to Far North Queensland
where he edited the Townsville Herald for a short time before moving to Cairns where he was editor of the The Cairns Post
and lived on the Barron River
until 1889.
Although he claimed to be interested in sugar-growing, he never actually did so, and made his living from journalism, speculation and property management.
In January 1889 Meston led a government expedition to the Bellenden Ker Range
and explored its summit.
The expedition was considered a success, and this led to further official engagements.
In 1894 he was commissioned to investigate the conditions of Aboriginals
in Queensland; despite his consequent proposals, little of his ideas were embodied in the Aboriginal Protection and Restrictions of the Sale of Opium Act 1897
. Meston was, from 1898 to 1903, the Southern Protector of Aboriginals for Queensland.
In 1910 he was appointed director of the Queensland Government Tourist Bureau in Sydney.
Throughout his life he was a profilic writer and, in addition to the newspapers he edited, he published frequently in The Queenslander
, The Brisbane Courier and many other papers.
mestonii and Piper
mestonii..
In 1936, a portrait of Archibald Meston, painted by artist and friend B.E. Minns, was purchased through public subscription and donated to the Queensland National Art Gallery (now the Queensland Art Gallery
).
Meston Street in Mitchelton
, Brisbane
was named after him in 1938.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, civil servant, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
and explorer.
Personal Life
Archibald Meston was born 26 March 1851 at TowieTowie
Towie is a small hamlet in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, close to Alford and Lumsden.One of the most notable features of Towie is its small primary school with nursery, which is located in the village itself. Towie also has a bowling club and a beautiful church with historic graveyard.The village is...
, Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, the son of Alexander Meston.
He migrated with his parents to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in 1859, his family subsequently taking up farming at Ulmarra, New South Wales
Ulmarra, New South Wales
Ulmarra is a small town on the south bank of the Clarence River in New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the Clarence Valley district. At the 2006 census, Ulmarra had a population of 446 people....
on the Clarence River.
He married Margaret Frances Prowse Shaw in Sydney in 22 August 1871.
After a long and varied career, he retired to Brisbane where he died (a pauper) of tetanus on 11 March 1924.
Meston was survived by his wife and, out of seven children, by four sons and a daughter.
He is buried in South Brisbane Cemetery
South Brisbane Cemetery
The South Brisbane Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery located in South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, adjacent to the Brisbane River. It is adjacent to Dutton Park and consequently is often called Dutton Park Cemetery. The cemetery was established in 1866 and remained in active use until the...
.
Professional and Public Life
In 1874, after travelling from New South Wales, he managed Dr Waugh's Pearlwell sugar plantation at St Lucia on the Brisbane RiverBrisbane River
The Brisbane River is the longest river in south east Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay. John Oxley was the first European to explore the river who named it after the Governor of New South Wales, Thomas Brisbane in 1823...
. The site is now part of the University of Queensland grounds
From 1875 to 1881 he was editor of the Ipswich Observer. He was later the editor of The Toowoomba Chronicle
The Toowoomba Chronicle
The Toowoomba Chronicle is a daily newspaper serving Toowoomba, the Lockyer Valley and Darling Downs regional areas in Queensland, Australia...
.
From 1878 to 1882 he represented Rosewood
Rosewood, Queensland
Rosewood is a small town in the Bremer Valley, Queensland, Australia. It is located 60 km west of the Brisbane CBD in the Ipswich City Council area and is the terminus of QR Citytrain's Rosewood railway line. Rosewood Railway Station provides Citytrain commuter rail services to Ipswich and...
in the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
, where he was a strong supporter of Queensland Premier Thomas McIlwraith
Thomas McIlwraith
Sir Thomas McIlwraith KCMG was for many years the dominant figure of colonial politics in Queensland. He was Premier of Queensland from 1877 to 1883, again in 1888, and for a third time in 1893...
.
He lost his seat when a civil court case resulted in bankruptcy.
In 1881 he moved to Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland, or FNQ, is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. The region, which contains a large section of the Tropical North Queensland area, stretches from the city of Cairns north to the Torres Strait...
where he edited the Townsville Herald for a short time before moving to Cairns where he was editor of the The Cairns Post
The Cairns Post
The Cairns Post is a major News Corporation newspaper in Far North Queensland that exclusively serves the Cairns area. It has daily coverage on local, state, national and world news, plus a wide range of sections and liftouts covering health, beauty, cars and lifestyle.It is the oldest business in...
and lived on the Barron River
Barron River (Queensland)
The Barron River is located on the Atherton Tableland inland from Cairns in Northern Queensland, Australia. With its headwater at Lake Tinaroo, it is more than 165 km long and has a catchment area of approximately 2138 km².-History:...
until 1889.
Although he claimed to be interested in sugar-growing, he never actually did so, and made his living from journalism, speculation and property management.
In January 1889 Meston led a government expedition to the Bellenden Ker Range
Bellenden Ker Range
The Belleden Ker Range, also known as the Wooroonooran Range is a coastal mountain range in Far North Queensland, Australia. Part of the Great Dividing Range it is located between Gordonvale and Babinda....
and explored its summit.
The expedition was considered a success, and this led to further official engagements.
In 1894 he was commissioned to investigate the conditions of Aboriginals
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
in Queensland; despite his consequent proposals, little of his ideas were embodied in the Aboriginal Protection and Restrictions of the Sale of Opium Act 1897
Aboriginal Protection and restriction of the sale of opium act 1897
The Aboriginal Protection and Restrictions of the Sale of Opium Act 1897 was an Act of the Parliament of Queensland.As a result of dispersal, malnutrition, opium and diseases, it was widely believed in Queensland that Aborigines were members of a 'dying race'...
. Meston was, from 1898 to 1903, the Southern Protector of Aboriginals for Queensland.
In 1910 he was appointed director of the Queensland Government Tourist Bureau in Sydney.
Throughout his life he was a profilic writer and, in addition to the newspapers he edited, he published frequently in The Queenslander
The Queenslander
The Queenslander was the weekly summary and literary edition of the 'Brisbane Courier' , since the 1850s the leading journal in the colony later federal state of Queensland...
, The Brisbane Courier and many other papers.
Commemorations
Archibald Meston is commemorated in the names of two plants collected by him on Bellenden Ker, GarciniaGarcinia
Garcinia is a plant genus of the family Clusiaceae native to Asia, Australia, tropical and southern Africa, and Polynesia. The number of species is highly disputed, with various sources recognizing between 50 and about 300 taxa as specifically valid...
mestonii and Piper
Piper (genus)
Piper, the pepper plants or pepper vines , are an economically and ecologically important genus in the family Piperaceae...
mestonii..
In 1936, a portrait of Archibald Meston, painted by artist and friend B.E. Minns, was purchased through public subscription and donated to the Queensland National Art Gallery (now the Queensland Art Gallery
Queensland Art Gallery
The Queensland Art Gallery is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre, and is located nearest to Brisbane River at South Bank...
).
Meston Street in Mitchelton
Mitchelton, Queensland
Michelton is a suburb of Brisbane, in Queensland, Australia. The suburb is located 8 kilometres from the Brisbane central business district some areas of Mitchelton can be 6 km to the Brisbane central business district....
, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
was named after him in 1938.
Publications
Apart from numerous writings as a journalist, as well as official reports to government authorities, a book published by Meston was:- 1895 - Geographic History of Queensland. Dedicated to the Queensland People. Queensland Government: Brisbane.
External links
- Taylor, Cheryl. (2003). "Romantic Pioneering in the Tropics: Archibald Meston's Home Life in Cairns, 1882-1888." etropic: electronic journal of multidisciplinary studies in the tropics, Vol 2, No 1. Accessed 25 March 2008
- State Library of Queensland's "Archibald Meston" webpage, within 100 Years of Queensland Aboriginal Life online exhibition Accessed 25 March 2008
- Obituary of Archibald Meston, Brisbane Courier, Wednesday 12 March 1924, page 6 Accessed 20 September 2011
- (forthcoming) Jonathan Richards "Crocodile Destroyer": A Critical Biography of Archibald Meston