George Poynter Heath
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George Poynter Heath | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 19 June 1830 Hanworth, Norfolk, England |
| Died | 26 March 1921 (aged 90) South Kensington, London, England |
| Known for | first portmaster of Queensland |
George Poynter Heath (19 June 1830 – 26 March 1921) was a Royal Navy captain and the first portmaster of Queensland, Australia. It was under his supervision and administration that the 2,086 miles (3,357 km) of coast of Queensland, and its numerous river and creeks, were marked for navigation purposes by means of buoys, beacons, and lights.
George Poynter Heath was born at Hanworth, Norfolk, England, on 19 June 1830.[1] He was the son of the Rev. Charles Heath, Vicar of Hanworth, and rector of Suffield, and Rural Dean and grandson of the Rev. G. Heath, D.D., headmaster of Eton and Canon of Windsor. He was educated at Cheltenham College. He entered the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1845, and served in the Channel Squadron and on the south coast of South America.[2]
Australian service
Heath first visited Australia while serving on HMS Rattlesnake, when she was engaged in surveying the south-east coast of Australia and of New Guinea from 1846 to 1850 under Owen Stanley. He also served on HMS Fantome, and HMS Calliope. He was also employed by the Sydney Hydrographic office in drawing up charts of the Pacific Ocean.[2]
On his return to England, Heath was employed by the British Admiralty drawing charts of the areas surveyed by the Rattlesnake. In late 1859 he was appointed marine surveyor in the Colony of Queensland, which had just been established. On 23 February 1860, before sailing for Queensland, he married Elizabeth Jane Innes, and they arrived in Brisbane in August 1860.[3]
In 1862, Heath was appointed the first portmaster of Queensland.[2] It was under his supervision and administration that the 2,086 miles (3,357 km) of coast of Queensland were marked for navigation purposes by means of buoys, beacons, and lights.[2] This included establishing 33 lighthouses, 6 lightships and 150 small lights and marking 724 kilometres (450 mi) of the inner route through the Great Barrier Reef.[1]
Heath was an optical expert in the matter of lighthouse work. With the exception of the Cape Moreton lighthouse erected in 1857, Heath selected the sites, and prepared specifications of the appliances required for all lighthouses on the Queensland coast until 1890, when he retired.[2] The last site selected by him was at Booby Island, where Booby Island Light was built, although he did not remain in Queensland to see the completion of this lighthouse.[2]
In 1864 he was involved in surveying Cleveland Bay near Townsville.[4]
In addition to holding the positions of portmaster, he was also a member of the Marine Board, of which he became chairman in 1869. For several years he was a member of the Immigration Board. He retired from the Queensland public service in 1890, being succeeded as portmaster by Captain Almond.[2]
