Frederick Slade Drake-Brockman facts for kids

Frederick Slade Drake-Brockman, also known as Frederick Slade Brockman, (born 9 July 1857 – died 11 September 1917) was an important Surveyor General and explorer in Western Australia. He helped map and understand many parts of the state.

Early Life and Education

Frederick Slade Drake-Brockman was born in 1857 at a place called Seabrook, near Northam in Western Australia. His father was Edmund Ralph Brockman, a farmer, and his mother was Elizabeth Deborah Slade.

He went to Bishop Mathew Hale's school. In 1878, he began training to become a surveyor with J. S. Brooking. A surveyor is someone who measures and maps land.

Career as a Surveyor and Explorer

In 1886, Drake-Brockman started working for the Department of Public Works and Railways. He was in charge of surveying new roads and telegraph lines. Telegraph lines were used to send messages over long distances.

Later, in 1891, he moved to the Lands and Surveys department. By 1894, he became the chief inspecting surveyor. In this role, he checked how land was drained and made sure that rabbit-proof fences were put up correctly. These fences were important to protect farms from rabbits.

One of his most famous achievements was in 1901. Frederick Drake-Brockman and eleven other people explored parts of the Kimberley region that had never been mapped before. This was a big adventure into unknown areas.

In 1910, the department changed, and Drake-Brockman became the district surveyor for Nelson. Finally, in June 1915, he was appointed the Surveyor-General. This meant he was the head of all surveying work in Western Australia.

Family Life

On 20 February 1882, Frederick Drake-Brockman married Grace Bussell. Grace Bussell was famous for being a heroine. She bravely helped rescue people during the SS Georgette ship disaster in 1876.

Frederick and Grace had seven children together: three daughters and four sons. Some of their children grew up to be well-known:

• Geoffrey (1885–1977) became a civil engineer and a brigadier in the army, serving in both World Wars.
• Karl (1891-1969) was a Rhodes Scholar, which is a special scholarship for studying at Oxford University. He also served as a Captain in the army and later became a judge.
• Edmund (1884-1949) was a soldier, a politician, and also a judge.
• Deborah (1887–1965) was involved in mining companies and helped with welfare work. She later became known as Lady Hackett and then Lady Moulden.