Before Canberra

John Gale

Six months after the March 10, 2001, unveiling of the large bronze sculpture of John Gale, a controversy  erupted in Queanbeyan (Sister City of Canberra) when a Queanbeyan City Council, councillor, declared that John Gale (1831-1929) was not the Father of Canberra, and insisted that the title belonged to Sir Austin Chapman.

But Sir Austin Chapman MP declared:

“… if any man were entitled to be known as the Father of Canberra, it was veteran Queanbeyan journalist John Gale.” ¹

PICTURE: John Gale Father of Canberra, stands again where he and eleven other men from the Queanbeyan District, presented their evidence and testified to New South Wales Commissioner Alexander Oliver, at the old Queanbeyan Courthouse, on June 11, 1900, that Queanbeyan-Canberra was the best site for the Federal Capital. (Connee-Colleen © digital photo 2001). ²

Charles Studdy Daley OBE wrote:

“… John Gale lived to see his vision realized when he attended the opening of Parliament in Canberra in 1927, and was presented to Their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of York … who would wish to dispute his right to be acknowledged as The Father of Canberra.” ³

Sir Austin Chapman told AK Murray, editor of the Federal Pioneer Magazine:

“… Canberra… Many are accredited wrongly with the initiation of the movement for its establishment; but they cannot deny the author … [John Gale] the title of ‘The Father of Canberra’. The late Sir Austin Chapman acknowledged that to me.” ⁴

Hon Sir John Forrest, Federal Minister and Western Australian Premier

“… The late Sir John Forrest, representing Western Australia in those days opposed the choice of Canberra; but when chosen he wrote and acknowledged that it was mainly Mr Gale’s famous pamphlet ‘Dalgety or Canberra, Which?‘ – a brochure published in 1907 and distributed to every member of the Commonwealth’s seven Parliaments, and amongst other prominent members of the community – that won the day for Canberra.” ⁵

AK Murray, editor of Canberra’s Federal Pioneer Magazine, wrote:

“… Mr Gale is, first, the oldest living journalist in the English-speaking world; and secondly, by his persistent advocacy of Canberra as a site for a Capital City, has earned the title of The Father of Canberra’.” ⁶

Reverend Ellis Thomas delivered the address prior to the burial service at John Gale’s graveside and said:

“… he [John Gale] was a notable figure in the town and district of Queanbeyan … and in the State. As a citizen his interests were State wide, he represented the electors in Parliament, acted as coroner, was the ‘Father of Canberra’ and an author. … “He was not a money maker”. That was true, rather was he content to spend and be spent for the benefit of the community. His life on earth was ended, but this example and the influence of John Gale would remain. ” ⁷

John Gale’s newspaper report on the ‘Naming of Canberra’ 1913:

“… The writer [John Gale] who contributes this record of the historic proceedings of Wednesday last [12 March 1913] is in a position to speak from personal knowledge of most of the recommended sites, and from an extensive knowledge of the interior of the majority of the Australian States, has no hesitation in averring that Canberra stands unrivaled in respect to all the desiderata of a great nation’s Capital City. Fifty-eight years ago [1855] he [John Gale] rode for the first time over the Canberra Plains. Approaching from the western slopes of the Black Mountain, and ascending the very site of Wednesday’s ceremonies, he well remembers reining in his horse, and (as it now appears) in a spirit of prophecy, gazing eastwards and southwards over the widespread undulating plains, intersected by the meandering Molonglo River, and having as a distant background the bold mountain outlines in the direction of Braidwood and Cooma, with the spurs of the Australian Alps westwards, exclaiming, ‘a magnificent site this for a great city in the future.’ Little did he [John Gale] reckon that in little more than half a century thence the very hill on which he uttered his soiloquy (sic) would be the spot where the commencement column of Federated Australia’s Capital City would be reared.” ⁸

John Gale’s Vision

Gale not only wrote about his 1855 vision but continually told others that in 1855 he had sat on his horse on Kurrajong Hill and imagined an inland city on the Limestone Plains ⁹ this same Kurrajong Hill is now known as Capital Hill and is the site of the new Federal Parliament House in Canberra, Australia built in (1982). ¹⁰

“The late Mr Gale often referred to the occasion of his first seeing Canberra as far back as 1855. A scene of superb and spreading beauty met his gaze, prompting the thought, ‘What an ideal site for a great city of the future.’ Some half-century later that early mind picture led to his advocacy of Canberra as the site for the Federal Capital.” ¹¹

Labor Prime Minister Mr Christian Watson,

was told about Gale’s 1855 vision, by John Gale on separate occasions when he visited Canberra during the search for the Federal Capital site. ¹²

John Gale was born in England in 1831 and  was Coroner for the Australian Capital Territory, which included Canberra when he died in 1929. ¹³

John Gale was the oldest Justice of the Peace in New South Wales at the time of his death ¹⁴ and although he was in his 99th year Gale was actually only 98 years and three months old when he died on 15 July 1929]. ¹⁵

“It was hard to find words to express their sympathy for the bereaved relatives of Mr. Gale who had been so long and honorably associated with the Queanbeyan Court and district activities”. ¹⁶

Reverend Konstantinos Kostakos: at the Memorial Dedication on March 10, 2001 said,

“The Father of Canberra Memorial commemorates John Gale and the Queanbeyan District community who lobbied for and helped build the City of Canberra”, ¹⁷

The Father of Canberra Memorial is located at the Queanbeyan Courthouse on the corner of Farrer Place /Lowe and Monaro Streets, Queanbeyan. ¹⁸

Melbourne based artist Peter Corlett who has created many of the spectacular Australian War Memorial sculptures, such as ‘Simpson & His Donkey’ and ‘Weary Dunlop’, was commissioned by HAPI Heritage-culture Arts Promotions Inc (a community based, charitable institution, under the Federal cultural sector) to sculpt the Father of Canberra, John Gale Memorial sculpture and have it cast in bronze by Meridian Foundry, Melbourne. ¹⁹

The Memorial was unveiled by four Queanbeyan students, two girls and two boys, from the two Queanbeyan High Schools: Karabar High and  Queanbeyan High, as part of the Heritage-culture Arts Promotions Incorporated (HAPI) – Queanbeyan Centenary of Federation Celebrations (COF).²⁰

The Canberra Times; The Chronicle; and The Queanbeyan Age, newspapers and local television gave excellent coverage of the unveiling.²¹

END

Footnotes / Resource

1. (i) The Canberra Times 11/07/1964; (ii) Charles S Daley, As I Recall, p 13.
2. PICTURE: the picture of John Gale remains the property and Copyright/ Moral right © of Connee-Colleen unless permission to use the photo is requested and permission is authorized by snail mail.
3. (i) The Canberra Times 11/07/1964; (ii) Charles S Daley, As I Recall, p 14.
4. John Gale, Canberra Its History and Legends – Forewords by A.K. Murray, Eastlake FCT 26 March, 1927. p x.
5. Ibid. Forewords by A.K. Murray, p x.
6. Ibid. Forewords by A.K. Murray, p xi.
7. The Queanbeyan Age: Mr John Gale – Veteran Journalist – Death in 99th Year. The Funeral. July 1929.
8. John Gale, journalist: Article on the ‘Naming of Canberra’, 13 March 1913, The Queanbeyan Age, 15 March, 1913.
9. There are many newspaper references of this fact, dating from the 1800s, which need to be documented; (ii) Gale also mentions it in Part One of his book, Canberra It’s History and Legends – ‘Canberra: First Acquaintance with Canberra‘, 1927. p 5.
10. New Parliament House opened by Queen Elizabeth (date 1982?).
11. The Queanbeyan Age: Mr John Gale – Veteran Journalist – Death in 99th Year.
12. Watson’s reference to Gale is quoted in a newspaper, that needs to be researched and referenced again [sorry].
13. The Queanbeyan Age: Mr John Gale – Veteran Journalist – Death in 99th Year. July 1929.
14. Ibid. The Funeral.
15. Connee-Colleen. John Gale CV ©1996 – will be on this site soon.
16. The Queanbeyan Age: QBN Court’s Sympathy,  by the PM (Police Magistrate) July 1929.
17. (i) Reverend Konstantinos Kostakos is the Parish Priest at St Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, Queanbeyan and was a member of the HAPI Sculpture Committee 2000-2008. (ii) Records of HAPI City of Sculpture Project, PO Box 987, Queanbeyan, 2620.
18. The John Gale Father of Canberra Memorial sculpture is located on the 1861 Queanbeyan Courthouse site, corner of Farrer Place /Monaro and Lowe Streets, Queanbeyan, 2620, where John Gale gave evidence in 1901 that Queanbeyan-Canberra should be the Federal Capital site .
19. (i) Sculptor Peter Corlett has created many sculptures around Australia including ‘Pharlap’ in Melbourne. (ii) The Australian War Memorial sculptures  ‘Simpson & His Donkey’ and ‘Weary Dunlop’ (located outside the front of the War Memorial in the grounds, and can be viewed at any time. (iii) The ‘Father of Canberra’ bronze was cast at Meridian Foundry, Melbourne; (iv) HAPI Records: HAPI Heritage-culture Arts Promotions Inc., PO Box 987, Queanbeyan, 2620.
20. Names of the four students to be advised.
21. Newspaper coverage: The Canberra Times, “Bell tolls, at last, for Gale”, p. 3, Monday, March 12, 2001; The Chronicle, “The John Gale Memorial statue”, Tuesday, March 13, 2001, p.3; The Queanbeyan Age, “Gale stands again–hundreds of people watch as sculpture is unveiled”, p.1; “Gale editor and Pioneer”, p.2; “Fond Memories”, p.3; “This is only the first of 12 apostles”, p.3; “This is your life”, p.3, Monday, March 12, 2001; Television: WIN News.

Copyright
All content on Before Canberra Copyright © Connee-Colleen unless otherwise noted – apologies extended if inadvertently a copyright has not been acknowledged – please inform so this can be rectified.

More pages to come

1. John Gale – CV
2. Commissioning a sculpture
3. The unveiling of the sculpture of John Gale
4. Queanbeyan Birthplace of Canberra
5. Queanbeyan Gateway to Canberra
6. Queanbeyan & Canberra Symbiosis

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