James Newman (mining engineer)
Encyclopedia
James Malcolm Newman CBE
(20 June 1880 – 23 November 1973) was an Australian mining engineer and grazier.
Newman was born at Caboolture
in Queensland
to Irish-born labourer and farmer James Newman and Elizabeth, née Irwin. He attended Brisbane Grammar School
and the University of Sydney
, graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering
specialising in mining and metallurgy
in 1901. From 1902 he worked as a trucker, timberman, miner and assistant surveyor at Broken Hill
; he moved to Western Australia
in 1904 to work as a surveyor with Peak Hill Goldfield Ltd, of which he was general manager in 1907. He married Elizabeth Maud in Perth
on 3 October 1908, although they were later divorced.
Newman returned to Queensland in 1908 to become a consultant to Mount Morgan Gold Mining Co. Ltd, subsequently joining the engineering staff until he returned to consultancy in 1912, after which he worked in Papua
and Malaya
. He served with the Malay States Guides in World War I
and then formed Alluvial Tin (Malaya) Ltd in 1923 with Frederick Pratten
. The pair extended their business to Siam, Borneo
and Burma before selling the company in 1927. Newman returned to Caboolture, and on 16 February 1927 married Gwendoline Nita Stephenson; they settled in a thirty-eight room mansion. Newman bought extensive property in rural Queensland and the Northern Territory
, acquiring dairy farms, pineapple
plantations, and cattle studs. In 1942 he was appointed controller of minerals production and given the task of increasing production of strategic minerals like tungsten
and tin
. He moved briefly to Melbourne
, during which time the Royal Australian Navy
used his home; he later donated the property as a war veterans' home and lived in Beachmere
. Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1957, he was awarded the medal of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy in 1960. He died at St Lucia
in 1973.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(20 June 1880 – 23 November 1973) was an Australian mining engineer and grazier.
Newman was born at Caboolture
Caboolture, Queensland
Caboolture is an urban centre approximately north of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. Caboolture is considered to be the northernmost urban area of the greater Brisbane metropolitan region within South East Queensland, and it marks the end of the Brisbane suburban commuter...
in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
to Irish-born labourer and farmer James Newman and Elizabeth, née Irwin. He attended Brisbane Grammar School
Brisbane Grammar School
Brisbane Grammar School is an independent, non-denominational, day and boarding school for boys, located in Spring Hill, an inner suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia...
and the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
, graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering
Bachelor of Engineering
The Bachelor of Engineering is an undergraduate academic degree awarded to a student after three to five years of studying engineering at universities in Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland , Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Korea,...
specialising in mining and metallurgy
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
in 1901. From 1902 he worked as a trucker, timberman, miner and assistant surveyor at Broken Hill
Broken Hill, New South Wales
-Geology:Broken Hill's massive orebody, which formed about 1,800 million years ago, has proved to be among the world's largest silver-lead-zinc mineral deposits. The orebody is shaped like a boomerang plunging into the earth at its ends and outcropping in the centre. The protruding tip of the...
; he moved to Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
in 1904 to work as a surveyor with Peak Hill Goldfield Ltd, of which he was general manager in 1907. He married Elizabeth Maud in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
on 3 October 1908, although they were later divorced.
Newman returned to Queensland in 1908 to become a consultant to Mount Morgan Gold Mining Co. Ltd, subsequently joining the engineering staff until he returned to consultancy in 1912, after which he worked in Papua
Papua
Papua was the name, as provided to the Portuguese commander Jorge de Meneses while sheltering there in 1526, of the people living on Waigeo, one of the Raja Ampat Islands west of the Vogelkop Peninsula, now part of the West Papua province of Indonesia. The Spanish pilot Martin de Uriarte in the...
and Malaya
Malaya
-Geographic/former political entities:* The Malay Peninsula* Malay Archipelago, the broader macroregion.-Malaya including Singapore:* British Malaya , a loose collection of British-controlled states...
. He served with the Malay States Guides in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and then formed Alluvial Tin (Malaya) Ltd in 1923 with Frederick Pratten
Frederick Pratten
Frederick Graham Pratten was an Australian politician. Born in Sydney, he attended North Sydney Grammar School and the University of Sydney, and served in World War I 1917-18. He then became the managing director of the family companies...
. The pair extended their business to Siam, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
and Burma before selling the company in 1927. Newman returned to Caboolture, and on 16 February 1927 married Gwendoline Nita Stephenson; they settled in a thirty-eight room mansion. Newman bought extensive property in rural Queensland and the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, acquiring dairy farms, pineapple
Pineapple
Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...
plantations, and cattle studs. In 1942 he was appointed controller of minerals production and given the task of increasing production of strategic minerals like tungsten
Tungsten
Tungsten , also known as wolfram , is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74.A hard, rare metal under standard conditions when uncombined, tungsten is found naturally on Earth only in chemical compounds. It was identified as a new element in 1781, and first isolated as...
and tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
. He moved briefly to 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...
, during which time the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
used his home; he later donated the property as a war veterans' home and lived in Beachmere
Beachmere, Queensland
Beachmere is a suburb north of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the Moreton Bay Region with a population of 3,597 ....
. Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1957, he was awarded the medal of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy in 1960. He died at St Lucia
St Lucia, Queensland
St Lucia is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia located 4 km south-west of the Brisbane CBD. The suburb is bordered on three sides by the Brisbane River and is dominated by the main campus of the University of Queensland.-History:...
in 1973.