George Gawler

George Gawler

George Gawler , KH ( July 21, 1795 - May 7, 1869 ) was the second Governor of South Australia .

Military career

Gawler was born in 1795 as the son of Captain Samuel Gawler and his wife Julia, b. Russell, born. After Gawler had attended Great Marlow Military College for two years, he was drafted into the 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot in October 1810 and took part with his regiment in the Napoleonic Wars on the Iberian Peninsula in January 1812 . Gawler stayed in Madrid until his regiment returned to Great Britain . He then took part in the Battle of Waterloo , now with the rank of lieutenant . He then stayed in France with the occupying army until 1818 , before marrying Maria Cox in 1820. From 1823 to 1826 Gawler was stationed in New Brunswick and sat down with his wife for social activities. On his return to England he was responsible for recruiting within the army from 1830 to 1832. After he rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in 1834, he received the Knight's Cross of the Guelph Order in 1837 .

Governor of South Australia

In 1838 Gawler was appointed governor of South Australia . He replaced John Hindmarsh , who was ordered back to Great Britain because of disagreements . When the new governor arrived in South Australia in October 1838, the state had little financial means and 4,000 immigrants lived on makeshift buildings. The amount Gawler was allowed to spend annually was £ 12,000. He was also given a £ 5,000 emergency loan. He managed to persuade Charles Sturt to follow him from New South Wales to work as a Surveyor General in South Australia. Surt's job was to provide expert opinions and replace Colonel William Light , who had resigned from his position as Surveyor General due to deteriorating health and a lack of staff. Gawler appointed other colonial officials and founded a police unit. He also improved the facilities in Port Adelaide . The state's first Government House was also built at Gawler's initiative.

With drought struck Australia in 1840, Gawler wanted to prevent a famine and spent over £ 200,000, exhausting London's financial resources and making the state bankrupt. The UK Parliament approved a £ 155,000 loan (which later did not have to be repaid). Gawler was replaced as governor by George Edward Gray .

Places named after Gawler

The Town of Gawler and the Gawler Ranges in the north of the Eyre Peninsula were named after Gawler .

Web links

Commons : George Gawler  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• George Gawler . In: Douglas Pike (Ed.): Australian Dictionary of Biography . Melbourne University Press, Carlton (Victoria) 1966–2012 (English).