DEATH OF MR. ALFRED GILES - Northern Standard (Darwin, NT : 1921 - 1955) - 24 Mar 1931 (original) (raw)

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Tue 24 Mar 1931 - Northern Standard (Darwin, NT : 1921 - 1955)
Page 5 - DEATH OF MR. ALFRED GILES

DEATH OF MR. ALFRED GILES

Mr. L. H. A. Giles received

sad news on Friday last of the

death in Adelaide on that day of

his father—Mr. Alfred Giles.

The late Alfred Giles was born

at Datchet, England, on the 18th

February, 1846, and was therefore in

his 86th year when the last call

sounded. He came to Australia with

his parents and three brothers and

two sisters, by the barque "Cal

cutta" which left London on

20/1/1849, the voyage taking six

months. The actual date of the

family's arrival in Australia was the

22nd June, 1849. Shortly after reach

ing South Australia Mr. Christopher

Giles took up land and he and his

wife and family went to reside at

Ketchowla. Mr. Giles was educated

at the late Mr. J. L. Young's Ac

ademy, Adelaide, and after leaving

school joined a party which Mr.

John Ross had organised to trav

erse the country. This was in the

year 1870. Mr. Giles was placed

second in command, the party fol

lowing the tracks of John McDouall

Stuart (1862) across the continent

from Adelaide to Port Darwin. John

Ross' party was the second to

cross the unexplored interior of

Central Australia. Hundreds of

miles of country were covered which

had never previously been trodden

by a white man, and the experience

engendered a love for the bush

which only ended when his eyes

closed in death. Afterwards the late

Mr. Giles crossed and recrossed the

country seven times, piloting parties

in connection with the building of

the Overland Telegraph line 1870-

72. The line was completed by the

joining of the two ends of the wire

at Frew's Pond on August 22nd,

1872. The late Mr. Giles was the

first to cross Leichardt's Bar on the

Roper River, after the famous ex

plorer crossed it in 1845, but it was

1871 before Mr. Giles followed in

his footsteps. Besides much valuable

exploratory work with his brother—

Arthur John Giles—he opened up

pastoral properties for the late Dr.

Brown. Among these were New

castle Waters Station, Springvale

and Delamere. Cattle, horses and

sheep were brought into the Terri

tory at different times for the pur

pose of stocking these properties.

Mr. Giles' residence in the Territory

was nearly half a century, and it

goes without saying that in the

course of his long and adventurous

career he had many most interesting

experiences. These he published in

a book under the title of "Exploring

a book under the title of "Exploring

lished by the Adelaide "Register" in

His father, Christopher Giles, died

in 1885, at the age of 87 years.

The late Mr. Alfred Giles mar

ried Miss Sprigg, in 1879, near Ad

elaide, the union resulting in three

sons and one daughter, viz., Major

F. G. Giles, D.S.O., V.D., of Adel

aide, Mr. Leslie Henry Alfred Giles,

chief clerk and accountant in the

Administration Branch, Darwin, and

Mr. Harold Stanage Giles, manager

of Elsey Station, N.A. The daughter

Lady Cockburn Campbell died in

1925, leaving three sons now in

Western Australia. Altogether there

are twelve grandchildren.

The funeral took place in Adel

aide on Saturday morning at 10

To the sorrowing relatives we ex

tend our sincere sympathy in their