John Mackay (Australian pioneer)

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John Mackay
South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Occupation(s)Explorer, sailor, harbourmaster
Years active1860โˆ’1908
SpouseMarion
Grave of John Mackay

John Mackay (26 March 1839 – 11 March 1914) was a Scottish-born explorer, sailor and harbourmaster best known for having the town of Mackay, Queensland named after him.

Early life

John Mackay was born on 26 March 1839 to George and Ann Mackay in

Uralla and became a proprietor of several hotels in that town.[2][3] As a young man, John Mackay involved himself in gold prospecting at the nearby Rocky River
goldfields.

Expedition to Central Queensland

In 1860, Mackay led an exploration party from

Native Police as well as skeletal remains of Aboriginals. On 2 April, they arrived at Rockhampton where Mulldoon and Cameron exited the expedition. The rest of the group proceeded north across the Broadsound Range and up the Isaac River and Denison Creek. They encountered multiple communities of Aboriginals along these waterways, firing their weapons above the heads of some and interacting in more friendly terms with others.[4]

Finding that the land in this region had already been marked out by the 1859 expedition of George Elphinstone Dalrymple, Mackay's group turned to the north-east, crossing the range into a coastal valley where after several days travel, they came upon a large river. They named this river the Mackay River after George Mackay, the father of John Mackay, but is now known as the Pioneer River. They followed the river north then east through open forested country before encountering large grassed plains in the region where the town of Mackay and its suburbs now stands. These plains, which were probably created by Aboriginal fire-stick farming, they named the May Plains as they came across them on 23 May 1860.[5]

The run-hunters spent the next few weeks marking out their future properties on these plains and neighbouring tracts of land while local Aboriginals camped at a safe distance. In this time most of the group became very ill, with Duke dying on 15 June. The remaining members set out to return to Rockhampton and soon met up with the

Uralla.[6]

John Mackay had marked out large tracts of land on the south bank of the Pioneer River for himself which he called the Greenmount and Cape Palmerston runs. Returning to the region in 1862 with a new venture partner in James Starr and 1200 head of cattle, Mackay faced insolvency within the first six months and was forced to sell out of these properties. His pastoral pursuits not being a financial success, Mackay changed his career focus to becoming a mariner.[7]

Blackbirding and South Sea trading

In 1865, Mackay obtained his master mariner licence and became Captain John Mackay. He travelled to

Ceylon.[13] It is highly possible that he was the captain of the Albert Edward vessel that the Manbarra people of Palm Island in Queensland attempted to destroy in 1874.[14]

In 1875, Mackay became master of the Flora and continued blackbirding throughout the Pacific.

Government of Queensland reneged on this agreement and instead offered Mackay the position of harbourmaster in the northern port of Cooktown.[20]

It is important to note that there was another blackbirder by the name of Captain John Mackay who operated out of Queensland ports in the period slightly after the subject of this article had retired from his seafaring position. This was Captain John Ronald Mackay who was in command of the vessel Para. His exploits in islander labour recruitment were similar but should not be confused with the John Mackay presented here.[21][22]

Harbourmaster at Cooktown and Brisbane

In 1883, Mackay was appointed as harbourmaster for the port of Cooktown. In 1889, he became harbourmaster at Brisbane.[23]

Death and legacy

Mackay died in 1914 at St Helen's Hospital, South Brisbane and was buried in

Moorooka.[26]

The city of Mackay is named after him.[27]

References

  1. The Courier-mail
    . No. 96. Queensland, Australia. 16 December 1933. p. 18. Retrieved 29 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ "Family Notices". The Armidale Express And New England General Advertiser. New South Wales, Australia. 13 June 1868. p. 3. Retrieved 29 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ "Advertising". The Armidale Express And New England General Advertiser. No. 219. New South Wales, Australia. 28 July 1860. p. 3. Retrieved 29 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ "EXPEDITION NORTHWARDS FOR NEW RUNS". The Armidale Express And New England General Advertiser. No. 227. New South Wales, Australia. 22 September 1860. p. 4. Retrieved 30 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ "EXPEDITION NORTHWARDS FOR NEW RONS". The Armidale Express And New England General Advertiser. No. 228. New South Wales, Australia. 29 September 1860. p. 4. Retrieved 30 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ Kerr, John D. "Rediscovered route of the Mackay expedition 1860" (PDF). University of Queensland. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  7. ISBN 978-1-921230-82-0
  8. Mount Alexander Mail
    . No. 1908. Victoria, Australia. 26 April 1865. p. 3. Retrieved 30 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ "SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE. ARRIVALS". Clarence And Richmond Examiner And New England Advertiser. Vol. VIII, no. 355. New South Wales, Australia. 3 September 1867. p. 2. Retrieved 30 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "POLYNESIAN LABORERS". The Queenslander. Vol. III, no. 133. Queensland, Australia. 22 August 1868. p. 7. Retrieved 30 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser
    . No. 767. Queensland, Australia. 6 July 1869. p. 3. Retrieved 30 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ "'Blackbirding' shame yet to be acknowledged in Australia". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney. 3 June 2013. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  13. The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser
    . Vol. XII, no. 560. New South Wales, Australia. 25 March 1871. p. 118. Retrieved 30 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ^ "A MURDEROUS OUTRAGE BY". The Age. No. 6062. Victoria, Australia. 10 July 1874. p. 3. Retrieved 30 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ^ "CRUISE OF THE FLORA". The Capricornian. Vol. 1, no. 50. Queensland, Australia. 11 December 1875. p. 799. Retrieved 30 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ^ "THE SKETCHER". The Queenslander. Queensland, Australia. 25 April 1891. p. 787. Retrieved 30 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ "The Sketcher". The Queenslander. Vol. LII, no. 1147. Queensland, Australia. 16 October 1897. p. 749. Retrieved 30 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. The Brisbane Courier
    . Vol. XXXV, no. 7, 258. Queensland, Australia. 16 April 1881. p. 6. Retrieved 30 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. ^ "SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 10, 775. Victoria, Australia. 30 December 1880. p. 4. Retrieved 30 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  20. ^ "THE GENUINE MACKAY". Daily Mercury. Vol. 73, no. 72. Queensland, Australia. 25 March 1939. p. 6. Retrieved 30 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  21. ^ "BLACKBIRDING". The Central Queensland Herald. Vol. 2, no. 74. Queensland, Australia. 28 May 1931. p. 45. Retrieved 30 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  22. ^ "Obituary". Daily Mercury. Vol. 71, no. 306. Queensland, Australia. 24 December 1937. p. 7. Retrieved 30 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  23. Morning Bulletin
    . No. 22, 461. Queensland, Australia. 25 July 1938. p. 3. Retrieved 29 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  24. ^ Mackay Captain John — Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  25. ^ Adsett, Noel E. "Rainey Hugh Mackay". Stories from the Honour Boards. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  26. ^ "LINKS WITH THE PAST". Daily Mercury. Vol. 75, no. 230. Queensland, Australia. 26 September 1941. p. 4. Retrieved 30 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  27. ^ "Mackay (entry 20426)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
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