Cameron, John

[Ref:1914/B019590]
Son of Donald Charles Cameron & Margaret Anne Moore

1st wife, Sarah Annie Lodge m.18/04/1877 Mudgee, NSW b.11/06/1858 Moruya – Oliver Lodge & Catherine Dowling
d.26/11/1893 of consumption
buried Drayton Cemetery Toowoomba, Cameron family site

Father of –
1. Donald Charles b.19/11/1879 Brisbane
d.19/11/1960 Brisbane
m.18/02/1914 Evelyn Stella Jardine
(b.12/02/1888 – Alexander William Jardine & Charlotte Elizabeth Mosman)
Donald served in Boxer Rebellion, Boer War and WWI
DSO, KCMG, Order of the Nile
Col. 5th LH 28/10/1914 RTA 27/06/1919
MHR (National Party) Bne 1919-1931, Lilley 1934-1937 (retired)
Father of 1 daughter who died young

2. John b.24/11/1881 d.18/03/1953
m.4/06/1908 Clarice May Macalister
(b.18/06/1885 – Matthew Macalister & Colina Helen Lamont)
Father of John Macalister b.21/02/1909 d.16/08/1968
Woolclasser/shearer’s expert, served WWII, POW Changi, Burma Railway Feb 1942
m. Melda Horn 1936

3. Percival Lodge b.01/11/1882 Kensington Downs
d.24/06/1940 Glen Nevis, Dalveen
buried Drayton Cemetery Toowoomba
m.28/02/1912 Margaret Helena Isabella Hardie
(b.1886 Scotland – Dr David Hardie & Marianne Jeans)
d.01/04/1980 Stanthorpe
buried Drayton Cemetery Toowoomba
Percival served in WWI (1st AIF) RTA 21/12/1918
Father of 4 children

4. Annie Vera b.05/11/1885 d.04/06/1909
buried Drayton Cemetery Toowoomba

2nd wife, Louise Christine Heussler m.27/12/1899
(b.1861 – John Christian Heussler & Sophia Ester Westgarth)
d.9?/10? July 1917 buried Toowong Cemetery Brisbane
Father of Westgarth Moore b.31/10/1900 d.03/12/1900
buried Toowong Cemetery Brisbane

John Cameron was a pastoralist, company director and politician. He was born (13 Mar 1847) in British Guiana, the eldest son of 10 children. He moved to Australia with his family in the 1850’s, and to Home Creek/Barcaldine Downs in the 1860’s.

The Camerons and Crombies (William and James Crombie married 2 of John’s sisters) bought Kensington Downs in 1877 (from Donald Gunn of Warwick) and soon after they added the adjoining Greenhills (bought from William Barton). In 1881 the partnership was rearranged, with the Crombies taking over Greenhills, and John and his mother keeping Kensington Downs (then approx 650 sq ml). He lived at Kensington Downs until he moved to Brisbane in the 1890’s to follow politics. His brothers, Donald C K and William H, took over management at this time. (They owned Caledonia as well, back to 1892, at least.)

In 1877, John married Annie Lodge (from Mudgee, NSW, and whose sister, Catherine, was married to William Thornton of Tower Hill), and they had 3 sons and 1 daughter, some being born at Kensington Downs, and later managing it and Caledonia. (Their eldest son, [Sir] Donald Charles, had an illustrious military career.) Annie died late in 1893 and in 1899 John married Louise Heussler. Their only child, a son, died in infancy.

While in the Muttaburra area, John was very involved in the community. He was on the Aramac Divisional Board 1883-1887, resigning in Oct 1887 to pursue politics. He was on the Hospital Committee, the Marathon (later Longreach) P & A Society, and the Muttaburra Turf Club, all for a number of years, I suspect. In 1889, he was instrumental in forming the United Pastoralists’ Assn., and was President for 14 continuous years. John Cameron was the MLA for Mitchell electorate from 1893-1896, and later MLA for North Brisbane from 1901-1908.

In Brisbane, he continued to argue the pastoralists’ case, and was chairman and director of a number of companies. His health deteriorated and he died after a long illness on 29 June 1914. He is buried in the Toowong cemetery. John Cameron & Co Ltd, under the directorship of Donald C K Cameron (John’s younger brother) and the management of his sons, continued to hold property (Kensington, Caledonia and Tancred) in the area until Kensington Downs was sold in 1928.

[Source: J McClymont]

John was one of the first to buy Crown land when it was first offered in Muttaburra in 1878. He bought 2 acres with ‘Deed of Grant Number’ 37577 and 37578.