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John Gale Print Page Print this page

03-November-2015
03-November-2015

Photographs supplied by Sandra Brown

The sculpture commemorates the journalist John Gale (1831 - 1929)who is known as "The Father of Canberra".

John Gale by his persistent advocacy of Canberra as a site for a Capital City, earned the title of ‘The Father of Canberra'. Gale not only wrote about his 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. This same Kurrajong Hill is now known as Capital Hill and is the site of the new Federal Parliament House in Canberra.

John Gale was the founder of the Queanbeyan Age, the first newspaper to serve Queanbeyan District (and now an important archive of information about daily life in 19th-century Queanbeyan and Canberra and the activities of its colonial residents). Gale had published short stories and historical articles and after he retired in 1903 continued to write and held several minor official posts including that of coroner. In 1927 he published Canberra: History of and Legends Relating to the Federal Capital Territory of the Commonwealth of Australia.

Location

Address:Farrer Place & Lowe Street , Queanbeyan, 2620
State:NSW
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -35.354383
Long: 149.231943
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Sculpture
Monument Theme:People
Sub-Theme:Arts
Artist:Peter Corlett (Melbourne, VIC)
Monument Manufacturer:Meridan Foundry
Link:http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/adbonli…

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Saturday 10th March, 2001
Front Inscription

The father of Canberra

John Gale

1831 - 1929

Sculptor: Peter Corlett
Cast by Meridian Foundry

Source: ACPH, ADB, MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au