Robert Gledden
Encyclopedia
Robert John Gledden was an English
-born Australia
n surveyor
and public benefactor.
Gledden was born at Bishopwearmouth
, Sunderland, County Durham
, England. As a youth Gledden spent many years in Germany
, Finland
and other continental countries, and became a good linguist. He moved to Australia around 1890 and was licensed as a surveyor in Queensland
. He went to Perth
, Western Australia
, about the beginning of 1892, and after practising for a few months as a surveyor was asked by William Marmion
, then the minister of lands, to take charge of mining surveys at Coolgardie
. He made a preliminary survey there and about a year later laid out the site of Kalgoorlie
. Gledden acted as mining registrar and warden at different times and was well acquainted with all the early pioneers at the goldfields
. Having a good memory and a keen sense of humour his reminiscences of life during the early days of the goldfields were found very interesting in later years.
Gledden retired in 1900 and spent much time travelling with his wife before settling at Caulfield
near Melbourne
. After his wife died about 1921, Gleddon continued to travel, but kept his interest in Western Australia and spent a good deal of his time there. Gledden died at Perth on 5 November 1927, there were no children. He was a good business man and made money largely out of investing in land in Western Australia. His will provided that the whole of his estate, subject to three annuities, should go to the University of Western Australia
to provide scholarships in applied science, beginning 10 years after his death. The amount made available to the university was about £55,000, and the income is used mainly to provide the Robert Gledden and Maud Gledden travelling fellowships of £750 a year. In addition there are Gledden studentships to enable engineers or surveyors to travel to other parts of Australia, and Gledden scholarships to assist students in engineering, surveying or the applied sciences generally. The Gledden Building
in Perth was named in his honour.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-born Australia
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 surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
and public benefactor.
Gledden was born at Bishopwearmouth
Bishopwearmouth
Bishopwearmouth is an area in Sunderland, North East England.Bishopwearmouth was one of the original three settlements on the banks of the river Wear that merged to form modern Sunderland....
, Sunderland, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England. As a youth Gledden spent many years in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and other continental countries, and became a good linguist. He moved to Australia around 1890 and was licensed as a surveyor 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...
. He went to 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....
, 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...
, about the beginning of 1892, and after practising for a few months as a surveyor was asked by William Marmion
William Marmion
William Edward Marmion was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 1870 to 1890, and a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1890 to 1896....
, then the minister of lands, to take charge of mining surveys at Coolgardie
Coolgardie, Western Australia
Coolgardie is a small town in the Australian state of Western Australia, east of the state capital, Perth. It has a population of approximately 800 people....
. He made a preliminary survey there and about a year later laid out the site of Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
. Gledden acted as mining registrar and warden at different times and was well acquainted with all the early pioneers at the goldfields
Eastern Goldfields
The Eastern Goldfields is a figurative area used in speech to describe a region of Western Australia.-Name:The name is derived in two parts from, Eastern in relation to its location from Perth and Goldfields as the name suggests comes from the mining of Gold in the region...
. Having a good memory and a keen sense of humour his reminiscences of life during the early days of the goldfields were found very interesting in later years.
Gledden retired in 1900 and spent much time travelling with his wife before settling at Caulfield
Caulfield, Victoria
Caulfield is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Glen Eira...
near 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...
. After his wife died about 1921, Gleddon continued to travel, but kept his interest in Western Australia and spent a good deal of his time there. Gledden died at Perth on 5 November 1927, there were no children. He was a good business man and made money largely out of investing in land in Western Australia. His will provided that the whole of his estate, subject to three annuities, should go to the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
to provide scholarships in applied science, beginning 10 years after his death. The amount made available to the university was about £55,000, and the income is used mainly to provide the Robert Gledden and Maud Gledden travelling fellowships of £750 a year. In addition there are Gledden studentships to enable engineers or surveyors to travel to other parts of Australia, and Gledden scholarships to assist students in engineering, surveying or the applied sciences generally. The Gledden Building
Gledden Building
The Gledden Building is an Art Deco office building in Perth, Western Australia. The building was constructed on land that had been bequested to the University of Western Australia by surveyor Robert Gledden.-Site and brief:...
in Perth was named in his honour.
External links
- Gledden Tavelling Fellowships at the University of Western Australia
- History of the Gledden Fellowships