Sir Augustus Charles Gregory (1819-1905) was born two hundred years ago on August 1, 1819 in Nottinghamshire, England. This year marks the 200th anniversary of his birth. Council have decided to celebrate his birth, given that he was our Society’s Foundation President and his descendants left a substantial legacy to the RGSQ in 1940, allowing the organisation to purchase its own building. However, Gregory was also a noted Australian surveyor, explorer and administrator – he was Queensland’s first Surveyor-General. Gregory also served in Queensland’s Legislative Council and was Mayor of the Town of Toowong (before its incorporation into the City of Brisbane in 1924).

A small display about Gregory’s association with the RGSQ will be created for viewing by members. Occasional Bulletin articles will outline some of his noted achievements and one of the monthly lectures will be devoted to the topic of Gregory. Interested members can also visit the Toowong Cemetery and view his grave which was restored in 1993 with support from the RGSQ.

Image: Rocketrod1960 [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

Peter Griggs

Further reading:

Duncan Waterson, “Gregory, Sir Augustus Charles (1819-1905)” Australian Dictionary of Biography.

William Kitson and Judith McKay, Surveying Queensland 1839-1945 (Brisbane: Queensland Department of Natural Resources and the Queensland Museum, 2006).

Wendy Birman, Gregory of Rainworth (Perth: University of Western Australia Press, 1979).

“Gregory Birthday Celebration,” Queensland Geographical Journal, Vol. 18 (1903): 117-35.