NORTHERN AUSTRALIA
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN NORTH AUSTRALIA
Northern Australia was proclaimed a part of the British colony of New South Wales in 1788 (eastern part) and in 1825 (central and western part). There were some attempts to colonize the area, but after the abandonement of Fort Essington in 1849 (1), no others were made. The expeditions (1585 - 1861) of John McDouall Stuart (1815 – 1866) - spreading the knowledge of the economic possibilities of the territory - resulted in a regained interest. Soon settlers from Queensland and South Australia - supported by their respective governments - moved to the area. This situation eventually resulted in the partition of the area, the East going to Queensland (1862) and the rest being annexed to South Australia (1863). (1) The navy settlement of Fort Essington on the coast was establised in 1838. Commandants 1838 - 1839 Capt. James John Gordon Bremer 1786 - 1850 1839 - 1849 Capt. John McArthur 1790 - 1862 __________________________________________________________________________________SOUTH AUSTRALIAN CHIEF ADMINISTRATORS
ADMINISTRATORS IN ADELAIDE South Australian Ministers in charge of the Northern Territory Northern Affairs were entrusted to one of the cabinet members. (C) = Commissioner for Crown lands and Immigration (J and E) = Minister of Justice and Education (A and E) = Minister of Agriculture and Education (E) = Minister of Education (T) = Treasurer (P) = Premier (CS) = Chief Secretary 1863 - 1864 Lavington Glyde (C) 1823 - 1890 1864 William Milne (C) 1822 - 1895 1864 - 1865 Arthur Blyth (C) 1823 - 1891 1865 Henry Bull Templar Strangways (C) 1832 - 1920 1865 Lavington Glyde (C)(2x) 1865 - 1866 John Bentham Neales (C) 1806 - 1873 1866 - 1867 William Milne (C) 1867 - 1868 Lavington Glyde (C)(3x) 1868 William Townsend (C) 1821 - 1882 1868 Lavington Glyde (C)(4x) 1868 - 1870 Wentworth Cavenagh-Mainwaring (C) 1822 - 1895 1870 - 1871 Arthur Blyth (C) (2x) 1871 - 1872 William Townsend (C) (2x) 1872 Edwin Henry Serrington (C) 1830 - 1899 1875 - 1873 Thomas Reynolds (C) 1818 - 1875 1873 - 1874 William Everard (C) 1874 - 1875 William Henry Bundey (J and E) 1838 - 1909 1875 John Cox Bray (J and E) 1842 - 1894 1875 - 1876 Ebenezer Ward (A and E) 1837 - 1917 1876 William Everard (E) (2x) 1876 - 1877 Ebenezer Ward (A and E) (2x) 1877 - 1878 Neville Blyth (E) 1825 - 1890 1878 Rowland Rees (E) 1840 - 1904 1878 - 1881 Thomas King (E) 1833 - 1886 1881 Martin Peter Friedrich Basedow (E) 1839 - 1902 1881 - 1884 John Langdon Parsons (E) 1837 - 1903 1884 Edwin Thomas Smith (E) 1830 - 1919 1884 - 1885 Richard Chaffey Baker (E) 1842 - 1911 1885 - 1887 John Alexander Cockburn (E) 1850 - 1929 1887 - 1889 Joseph Colin Francis Johnson (E) 1848 - 1904 1889 - 1890 John Hannah Gordon (E) 1850 - 1923 1890 - 1891 David Bews (E) 1850 - 1891 1891 - 1892 John Greeley Jenkins (E) 1851 - 1923 1892 William Benjamin Rounsevell (T) 1843 - 1923 1892 Frederick William Holder (P and T) 1850 - 1909 1892 - 1893 William Benjamin Rounsevell (T)(2x) 1893 John William Downer (P and T) 1843 - 1915 1893 - 1894 Thomas Playford (T) 1837 - 1915 1894 - 1899 Frederick William Holder (T) (2x) 1899 Vaiben Louis Solomon (P and T) 1853 - 1909 1899 - 1901 Frederick William Holder (P and T) (3x) 1901 - 1905 John Greeley Jenkins (P and CS)(2x) 1905 Richard Butler (P and T) 1850 - 1925 1905 - 1908 Laurence Theodore O'Loughlin (C) 1854 - 1927 1908 - 1909 John George Bice (Honorary Minister) 1853 - 1923 1909 - Laurence Theodore O'Loughlin (C) (2x) 1909 - 1910 Richard Butler (T) (2x) 1910 - 1911 William "Bill" Joseph Denny (Attorney General) 1872 - 1946 ADMINISTRATORS IN DARWIN Government Residents 1864 - 1870 Boyle Travers Finniss (2) 1807 - 1893 1870 James Stokes Millner* 1830 - 1875 1870 - 1873 Lt. William Bloomfield Douglas 1822 - 1906 1873 - 1876 George Byng Scott 1824 - 1886 1876 - 1883 Edward William Price 1883 - 1884 Gilbert Rotherdale McMinn* 1841 - 1924 1884 - 1890 John Langdon Parsons 1837 - 1903 1890 - 1892 John George Knight 1826 - 1892 1892 - 1906 Charles James Dashwood 1843 - 1919 1906 - 1910 Charles Edward Herbert 1860 - 1929 1910 Nicjolas Holtze* 1868 - 1913 1910 - 1911 Samuel James Mitchell 1852 - 1926 (2) He was trialed for misrule in 1865, but he seems not to have been fired.
AUSTRALIAN NORTHERN TERRITORY
Desiring to be relieved from the evermounting debt of its northern territory, the South Australian government offered to transfer the territory to the newly created Commonwealth of Australia (1901). Negociations lasted until 1907 when the central government agreed to take over the debt. The South Australian parliament then immediately ratified the agreement, but the Commonwealth parliament only did so in 1909. The transfer was completed in 1911. __________________________________________________________________________________CHIEF ADMINISTRATORS
Administrators (subordinated to the Ministers in charge of the Territories) 1911 - 1912 Samuel James Mitchell* 1852 - 1926 1912 - 1919 John Anderson Gilruth 1871 - 1937 1919 Henry Ernest Carey* 1919 - 1921 Miles Staniforth Cater Smith* 1869 - 1934 1921 - 1926 Frederic Charles Urquhart 1858 - 1935 1926 - 1927 Edward Copley Playford* 1864 - 1950 On the advice of the North Australia Commission (1) and under its supervision, the territory was temporarily divided in 1927 : - Central Australia - Northern Australia Government Residents for Central Australia 1927 - 1929 John Charles Cawood 1929 - 1931 Victor George Carrington 1900 - Government Resident for North Australia 1927 - 1931 Robert Hunter Weddell 1882 - In 1931 the situation of before 1927 was restored. Administrators 1931 - 1934 Robert Hunter Weddell s.a. 1934 Joseph Aloysius Carrodus* 1885 - 1961 1934 - 1937 Robert Hunter Weddell (2x) 1937 - 1946 Charles Lydiard Aubrey Abbott (2) 1886 - 1975 (1) The North Australia Commission was estanlished in 1926 to examine : - the means to improve the economic development of North Australia, - the possible transformation of Northern Australia into a new Australian state. Members 1826 - 1931 -James Horsburgh (Chairman) -William Robert Easton -George Alexander Hobler 1864 - 1935 (2) As a consequence of the Japanese progression in Australian New Guinea and of their bombing of Darwin in 1942, the seat of the civil authorities of the territory was transferred to Alice Springs in Central Australia and the northern part of the territory was placed under military control. Commanders of the Northern Territory Force 1942 MajGen. Edmund Francis "Ned" Herring 1892 - 1982 1942 MajGen. Jack Edwin Stawell Stevens 1896 - 1969 Commander of the 12th Australian Division 1942 - 1943 MajGen. Jack Edwin Stawell Stevens s.a. Commanders of the Northern Territory Force 1943 MajGen. Jack Edwin Stawell Stevens (2x) 1943 - 1944 MajGen. Arthur Samuel "Tubby" Allen 1894 - 1959 1944 BrigGen. Warren Melville Anderson* 1894 - 1973 1944 - 1945 ... 1945 - 1946 MajGen. John Joseph Murray 1892 - 1951
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