Peter Waite (philanthropist)
Peter Waite (9 May 1834 – 4 April 1922)[1] was a South Australian pastoralist, businessman, company director and public benefactor. Waite's philanthropic endeavors provided significant benefit to the University of Adelaide and to local public schools, and generations of students have benefited from his largesse.
Career
Waite was born at Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland, son of James Waite, a farmer, and his wife Elizabeth, née Stocks. Waite was left fatherless and after leaving school he was apprenticed to an ironmonger[1] and spent nine years in commercial pursuits. Waite then sailed to Australia aboard the British Trident, landed at Melbourne and went on to South Australia.[1] There he joined his brother James who was part owner of Pandappa station near Terowie. Waite worked on this station for some years and acquired a thorough knowledge of the pastoral industry. Waite then (in conjunction with Sir Thomas Elder) bought Paratoo station, and gradually obtained interests in other properties.[2] He was one of the first to realize the value of fenced as against open runs, and spent over £200,000 in fencing and providing water. He later owned Momba Station, one of the largest sheep stations in outback New South Wales. Waite and other pastoralists in the area formed the Pastoralists' Association of West Darling in 1906.[3]
On 21 November 1864 Waite married his first cousin Matilda Methuen (d.1922), a daughter of James Methuen of Leith, Scotland. Together they had eight children.
Philanthropic deeds
In 1913 Waite presented to the
The donation remains one of the largest public benefactions in South Australian history.
Waite also gave an adjoining estate of 114 acres (46 ha) to the government of South Australia for the purpose of founding an agricultural high school: Urrbrae Agricultural High School.[1] Waite was working until a few months before his death from heart failure on 4 April 1922; he was survived by his wife, son and three daughters.[1] One of his daughters, Elizabeth Macmeikan (died 5 April 1931), left the residue of her estate, some £16,000, to the University of Adelaide to be used for the study of sciences relating to the land, either in connexion with the Waite Research Institute or otherwise.
References
- ^ ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
- ^ a b Searle, Percival (1949). "Waite, Peter". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Angus and Robertson. Retrieved 25 January 2008.
- ^ "History". The Pastoralists’ Association of West Darling. 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
- ^ a b "Peter Waite". University of Adelaide. 2008. Retrieved 25 January 2008.
External links
- Urrbrae House - University of Adelaide
- Waite Campus of the University of Adelaide
- Death of Mr. Peter Waite; A Prince of Benefactors. The Advertiser (Newspaper Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931), Wed 5 Apr 1922, Page 7
- Death of Mr. Peter Waite; Big City Business Ventures. The Advertiser (Newspaper Adelaide, SA : 1889 – 1931), Wed 5 Apr 1922, Page 9
- Obituary: Death of Mr. Peter Waite; A Prince of Benefactors. - Chronicle (Newspaper Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), Sat 8 Apr 1922