George Gawler
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Lieutenant Colonel George Gawler, KH (21 July 1795–7 May 1869) was the second governor of South Australia. He replaced John Hindmarsh who was recalled to England in 1838. He was governor from 17 October 1838 until 15 May 1841.
When Gawler arrived in October 1838, the colony had almost no public finances, underpaid officials and 4000 immigrants living in makeshift accommodation. He was allowed a maximum of £12,000 expenditure a year, with an additional £5,000 credit for emergencies. His first goal was to address delays over rural settlement and primary production. He persuaded Charles Sturt to come from New South Wales to work as surveyor-general, personally overseeing the surveys in the meantime, as Colonel William Light had resigned due to ailing health and the demands being placed on him without adequate staff. Gawler appointed more colonial officials, set up a police force, took part in exploration, and improved the facilities at Port Adelaide during his tenure as governor. The first permanent Government House was built during his time, what is now the East Wing of the present building.
Due to droughts in other colonies in 1840, before South Australia was self-sufficient for food, the cost of living increased rapidly. Gawler increased public expenditure to stave off collapse, which resulted in bankruptcy and changes to the way the colony was run. Over £200,000 had been spent and the land fund in London had been exhausted. A £155,000 loan was approved by the British Parliament (later made a gift) and Captain George Grey was sent to replace Gawler. In his time in office Governor Gawler had managed to make South Australia self-sufficient in terms of agriculture and had restored public confidence.
The town of Gawler was named after him, as it was surveyed soon after he arrived. The Gawler Ranges at the north end of Eyre Peninsula are also named after him.
External links
- Dictionary Of Australian Biography - Gawler (http://gutenberg.net.au/dictbiog/0-dict-biogG.html#gawler1)
- Government House (http://www.governor.sa.gov.au/html/govhouse.html)
- Memorial in Portsmouth (http://www.memorials.inportsmouth.co.uk/churches/st_simons/gawler.htm)
| Preceded by: Captain John Hindmarsh, KH, RN | Governor of South Australia 1838–1841 | Succeeded by: Sir George Edward Grey KCB |
