John Roper (explorer)

John Roper (born around 1822 in Gayton Thorpe , Norfolk , England ; † September 15, 1895 in Merriwa , New South Wales , Australia ) was an explorer and a public servant. Roper participated in the his first Australia expedition of Ludwig Leichhardt part in the years 1844 to 1845.

John Roper was the son of Thomas Roper and his wife Frances, née Nurse. He emigrated to New Zealand and arrived in Sydney on January 25, 1843 on the ship Bright Planet . Roper was a participant in Ludwig Leichhardt's first expedition from 1844 to 1845, which crossed the Australian continent from Jimbour to Port Essington . Roper was inexperienced, took risks and got lost several times in pathless terrain. He went along with deputy expedition leader John Gilbert and opposed Leichhardt's leadership style. On June 28, 1845, he was seriously injured and lost his eyesight in an Aboriginal attack . Returning to Sydney, he received 175 pounds for his participation in the Sydney expedition.

From 1847 to 1853 Roper was an administrative clerk in Albury and also a postmaster and registrar. He acquired land in and near Albury and was appointed magistrate on July 1, 1857, and later elected to the city council. He also held other honorary positions. In 1862 he was elected Mayor of Albury.

When he was declared bankrupt on October 29th, he was forced to resign. On April 9, 1868 he became an inspector for sheep in Merriwa.

In 1884 Roper was asked by the Geographical Society of Australasia to report on his experiences during the Leichhardt expedition. He did not comply with this request. John Frederick Mann wrote his report Eight Months with Dr. Leichhardt in the Years 1846-47 on Leichhardt's second expedition. Thereupon Roper stated that it was beneath his dignity to report on Leichhardt for a fee.

Honors

Leichhardt named the Roper Peak in the Peak Range and the Roper River after him.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ adb.anu.edu.au : Peter Orlovich: Roper, John (1822–1895) , in English, accessed on April 28, 2013