Hugh McColl (pioneer)
Encyclopedia
Hugh McColl was a Scottish-born irrigation pioneer in Australia
.
McColl was born in Glasgow
, eldest son of James McColl and his wife Agnes, née Cowan and worked for fifteen years as a bookseller. Marrying in 1843, the family decided to emigrate to Victoria
; McColl's wife died on 2 January 1853 on board the Emigrant as they approached Melbourne
.
McColl worked as a publisher, commercial traveller and legal manager for a Sandhurst gold-mining company. From 1865 McColl was honorary secretary of the Sandhurst and Castlemaine Water Supply Committee, this supported development of the Coliban River. In 1874 McColl became secretary of the Grand Victorian North West Canal, Irrigation, Traffic and Motive Power Co. Ltd. The plan to provide vast canals for inland Australia eventually faded away except for McColl's vision for canals which later became the basis of the Goulburn
irrigation system.
After three failed attempts, McColl was elected member for the Mandurang
in the Victorian parliament in 1880 and advanced water conservation and irrigation. His son James Hiers McColl (1844-1929) was minister of water supply in 1893-94 and later a Federal politician.
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...
.
McColl was born in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, eldest son of James McColl and his wife Agnes, née Cowan and worked for fifteen years as a bookseller. Marrying in 1843, the family decided to emigrate to Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
; McColl's wife died on 2 January 1853 on board the Emigrant as they approached Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
McColl worked as a publisher, commercial traveller and legal manager for a Sandhurst gold-mining company. From 1865 McColl was honorary secretary of the Sandhurst and Castlemaine Water Supply Committee, this supported development of the Coliban River. In 1874 McColl became secretary of the Grand Victorian North West Canal, Irrigation, Traffic and Motive Power Co. Ltd. The plan to provide vast canals for inland Australia eventually faded away except for McColl's vision for canals which later became the basis of the Goulburn
Goulburn River (Victoria)
The Goulburn River is a major inland river in Victoria, Australia.The headwaters of the Goulburn River rise in the western end of the Victoria Alps, near Mount Buller. The Eildon Dam creates Lake Eildon, a major storage of water for irrigation...
irrigation system.
After three failed attempts, McColl was elected member for the Mandurang
Electoral district of Mandurang
The Electoral district of Mandurang was an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly , around Bendigo.-Members of Mandurang:-See also:*Parliaments of the Australian states and territories...
in the Victorian parliament in 1880 and advanced water conservation and irrigation. His son James Hiers McColl (1844-1929) was minister of water supply in 1893-94 and later a Federal politician.