Andrew Ball (died 1894) was a pioneer in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. He is also credited with the European discovery of its site.
Andrew Ball (died 1894) was a pioneer in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. He is also credited with the European discovery of its site.
Andrew Ball was the son of James Creighton Ball and his wife Hannah (née Leeky). [1]
Andrew Ball was one of the first Europeans to explore the Cleveland Bay district, and is acknowledged as the founder of Townsville. In 1864 he was managing Woodstock Station (to the south of Ross River) for pastoralists Robert Towns and John Melton Black (who together owned Jarvisfield and Woodstock cattle runs and Fanning Downs and Victoria Downs sheep stations), when Black asked Ball to explore the country to the north, to find a suitable port at Cleveland Bay from which to handle station produce. Ball, accompanied by Mark Watt Reid and two Aboriginal stockmen, set out in April 1864 and eventually found the mouth of what later was called the Ross River. The site Ball selected for a wharf and port was on Ross Creek, an arm of the Ross River Delta. Lying beneath the huge pink granite outcrop of Castle Hill, the location reminded Ball of Castletown, the capital of the Isle of Man, and that was what he called the place. When a government town site was surveyed here in 1865, the name was changed officially from Castletown to Townsville, in honour of Robert Towns. [2]
Andrew Ball was occupied for the next few years with pastoral work before returning to Townsville in the late 1860s, and was a partner in Ball & Grimaldi, Townsville, in 1869. In 1877 he married Mrs Rose O'Neill, widow and licensee of the Exchange Hotel in Flinders Street since 1873. The Exchange had been erected in 1869 by Edward Head and was made the terminus for the Ravenswood coach service in 1870, but it was the popular Rose O'Neill who improved the hotel's reputation and nearly doubled its size in the mid-1870s. Rose O'Neill eventually purchased the hotel and following her marriage to Andrew Ball and his taking over of the licence in 1877, the Exchange became one of the most popular hotels in town. Ball was charming and widely known, with business interests both in Townsville and on the goldfields (Ravenswood and Charters Towers), and together, he and Rose developed a large and loyal cliental at the Exchange. In 1881 the two-storeyed timber hotel was destroyed by fire, but Townsville was booming and Ball immediately rebuilt in brick, the substantial new two-storeyed Exchange Hotel opening in 1882. That year Andrew Ball gave up the licence, he and Rose retiring from hotel work but retaining numerous Townsville business interests. They resided at West End for some years before moving to Rosebank in the mid-1880s. [2]
In January 1885 Rose Ball acquired title to a 2-acre site about 3 miles out of town, southwest along the Charters Towers road, at a time when the western and southwestern suburbs of Townsville were emerging as fashionable addresses for successful Townsville businesspersons. On this property Rose and Andrew Ball erected Rosebank, a large timber residence picturesquely situated overlooking a small lagoon and creek (now filled in and part of Mindham Park). [2] Today Rosebank is within the suburb of Mysterton.
Andrew Ball died at Rosebank on 27 September 1894 aged 62, the oldest resident of Townsville. [3] As he was highly respected, flags in Townsville were hung at half-mast. [3] He was buried in a graveside service with Church of England rites conducted by Rev. Pike on 28 September 1894, at the largest funeral held in Townsville. At Ball's request, he was buried next to friend and fellow pioneer William Kirk in the West End Cemetery. [4] [5] [6]
His widow Rose remained at Rosebank until her death in February 1925, aged 83. In January 1912 their only daughter, Annie Alice May, married lawyer (later Supreme Court Judge) Robert Johnstone Douglas, son of Queensland Premier, John Douglas. [2]
On Sunday 1 November 1964, a monument commemorating the "100th Anniversary of Settlement in Townsville" was unveiled on The Strand, with particular mention made of four men: Robert Towns, Andrew Ball, Mark Watt Reid and John Melton Black. [7] As at 2020, the monument is located in Anzac Memorial Park between the Centenary Fountain and the bandstand ( 19°15′19″S146°49′23″E / 19.2553°S 146.8230°E ). [8]
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 179,011 as of the 2021 census, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Townsville hosts a significant number of governmental, community and major business administrative offices for the northern half of the state.
Castle Hill is a heritage-listed isolated pink granite monolith in the suburb of Castle Hill, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Its Indigenous name is Cootharinga, sometimes written as Cooderinga.
Robert Towns was a British master mariner who settled in Australia as a businessman, sandalwood merchant, colonist, shipowner, pastoralist, politician, whaler and civic leader. He was the founder of Townsville, Queensland and named it after himself, he is also known for his involvement in blackbirding and labour exploitation of immigrant workers.
Australian non-residential architectural styles are a set of Australian architectural styles that apply to buildings used for purposes other than residence and have been around only since the first colonial government buildings of early European settlement of Australia in 1788.
Townsville City is a coastal suburb at the centre of the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the suburb of Townsville City had a population of 2,910 people.
Ravenswood is a rural town and locality in the Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Ravenswood had a population of 255 people.
Justin O'Neill is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played for the Melbourne Storm and North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL and Australia at international level.
Sacred Heart Cathedral is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic cathedral at 266 Stanley Street, Townsville CBD, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1896 to 1902 by Dennis Kelleher. It is also known as Church of the Sacred Heart. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
Eaton & Bates was an architectural partnership in Queensland, Australia which built up a substantial Queensland practice from c. 1894-c. 1908. From 1901, it was known as Eaton, Bates & Polin. Many of their works are now heritage-listed.
Albert Edmund Bates (1862—1929) was an Australian architect. Many of his works are notable; some are heritage-listed.
Rosebank is a heritage-listed detached house at 21 Lawson Street, Mysterton, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1886. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
John Melton Black (1830–1919) was a pioneer of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Black ordered the expedition of Cleveland Bay to find a suitable site for a port and then established the Port of Townsville and the associated town of Townsville. He served for two terms as Mayor of Townsville.
Townsville Customs House is a heritage-listed former customs house at Wickham Street, Townsville CBD, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by George David Payne and built from 1900 to 1902 by Crawford & Cameron. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 7 February 2005.
Anzac Memorial Park is a heritage-listed memorial and park at The Strand, Townsville CBD, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was first built in 1912. It is also known as The Strand Park and Townsville War Memorial. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
Townsville State Government Offices is a heritage-listed office building at 12-14 Wickham Street, Townsville CBD, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Andrew Baxter Leven and built from 1935 to 1937 by relief workers. It is also known as Lands Department and Townsville Public Offices. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 13 January 1995.
Tattersalls Hotel is a heritage-listed hotel at 87 Flinders Street, Townsville CBD, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It is also known as Molly Malone's Irish Pub. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
Dotswood is a rural locality in the Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census Dotswood had a population of 101 people.
Ravenswood Community Church is a heritage-listed former Roman Catholic church and now union church at Chapel Street, Ravenswood, Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1871 by Ross & O'Reilly. It is also known as St Patrick's Catholic Church. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 24 September 1999.
Bank of New South Wales is a heritage-listed former bank building at 34–36 Gill Street, Charters Towers City, Charters Towers, Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Eyre & Munro and built in 1889 by Kelleher. It is also known as Wherry House. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 9 November 2012.
Chapel Street Bridge is a heritage-listed road bridge at Chapel Street, Ravenswood, Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1895 to 1898. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 29 November 2019.
1894/C4170
This Wikipedia article incorporates text from "The Queensland heritage register" published by the State of Queensland under CC-BY 3.0 AU licence (accessed on 7 July 2014, archived on 8 October 2014).