Robert Towns | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Robert Towns, by unknown artist | |
| Born | 10 November 1794 |
| Died | 11 April 1873 (aged 78) |
| Burial place | Balmain Cemetery |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Mariner, merchant and politician |
| Known for | Founder of Townsville, Queensland |
Robert Towns (10 November 1794 – 11 April 1873) 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.
After a career at sea as a master mariner based in Britain, Towns came to Australia in 1843 as the agent for London merchant Robert Brooks (MP). He also became a merchant in his own right in Sydney with involvement in the sandalwood and pelagic whaling trades. He was an importer of sugar and tea, and an exporter of wool, whale oil, cotton and other commodities. He became a pastoralist and pioneered the cultivation of cotton in Queensland, often employing Kanakas.
The head office of Robert Towns & Company was in Sydney with branch offices in Melbourne, Brisbane, Dunedin and Townsville.[1] His far-flung trading connections saw him do business with merchants in Mauritius, India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), the Philippines, New Zealand, New Caledonia, China, the New Hebrides (Vanuatu), California and Chile.
- ^ Broeze, Frank (1993). Mr Brooks and the Australian trade; imperial business in the nineteenth century. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. pp. 207 & 268.