William RamsbottomPrint Page

The plaque at the grave commemorates William Ramsbottom who was the first superintendent of the Salmon Ponds in Tasmania from April 1864 to August 1868.

As long ago as 1852 Tasmania arranged for the import of trout ova from Scotland by the ship Columbus. The experiment, which cost £300, was a complete failure, but it led to the realisation that the temperature in the tank container would have to be regulated by the use of ice. Experiments in a London company's ice vaults subsequently established that the incubation of fish ova could be retarded long enough to enable them to be transported to Australia. These experiments were undertaken at the instance of William Ramsbottom, sent to England by the Tasmanian Salmon Commissioners with the support of the Governor of Tasmania, Colonel Thomas Gore Brown. As a result Money Wigram and Sons, in January, 1864, gave 50 tons of space free of cost, and 100,000 salmon and trout ova were obtained from Wales and the North.

As the ova was late in reaching London, the shipping company held up the Norfolk for a whole day for its ''precious and novel burden towards the ultimate fate of which the attention of the whole scientific world was anxiously directed." After a quick passage of 84 days, Hobson's Bay was reached on April 15. Here the Government of Victoria held their steamer in readiness to convey the ova to Hobart Town. To the joy of all concerned, when the boxes of ova packed in moss were opened by Mr. Ramsbottom, a large portion was found to be alive and healthy. Eleven boxes were retained at Melbourne and the remainder reached the Derwent River at 3 p.m. on April 20. Here they were transferred to a barge towed by the steamer Emu up the river to New Norfolk. May 4, 1864, is a day that should be sacred to every trout enthusiast in Australia, for it was on that day the first Australian trout made its appearance, followed on the succeeding day by the first salmon ever seen south of the equator.
Advocate (Burnie, Tas), 16th July 1935.

Location

Address:	William Drive, Section A Row 4, Old Church of England Section, Rookwood Necropolis, Rookwood, 2141
State:	NSW
Area:	AUS
GPS Coordinates:	Lat: -33.868308 Long: 151.051715 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.

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Details

Monument Type:	Plaque
Monument Theme:	People
Sub-Theme:	Government - Colonial

Dedication

Source: MA