History

Discovered by Stephen Hack in August 1857 and simultaneously by P.E. Warburton and Samuel Davenport. Lake Gairdner was named by the Governor of South Australia, Richard MacDonnell in October 1857 after Gordon Gairdner, a Chief Clerk of the Australian Department in the Colonial Office.

 

GAIRDNER, GORDON (1803?-1877), public servant, was born at Charleston, South Carolina, United States, the son of Edwin and Jane Drummond Gairdner, American loyalists, who went to England some time between 1805 and 1812. Gairdner entered the Colonial Office as a clerk in January 1824, became a second-class clerk employed on New South Wales affairs in January 1825, a senior clerk and head of the Australian and Eastern Departments in 1837, and chief clerk in January 1860. He was appointed C.M.G. and was registrar of that order. He retired in 1870 and died on 28 April 1877 at Hastings England, leaving a widow.

 

E. T. Williams ('The Colonial office in the Thirties', Historical Studies, May 1943) described Gairdner as 'industrious, shrewd and clearheaded. There is no evidence of obvious bias in his penetrating memoranda though he obviously enjoyed a dig at those who bombarded the office with criticisms, worries or suggestions. His memoranda were always crisp and to the point and rarely did Stephen need to alter any letter or despatch Gairdner had drafted'.

 

 

Images







Documents

Links

References

  • Print Publication Details: 'Gairdner, Gordon (1803? - 1877)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 1, Melbourne University Press, 1966, p. 425.

 

Reference Material

 

Learn More