John George Nathaniel Gibbes facts for kids
Colonel John George Nathaniel Gibbes (born 1787, died 1873) was a British army officer. He moved to Australia in 1834. He became the Collector of Customs for the Colony of New South Wales. This important job also gave him a seat on the New South Wales Legislative Council. He held this position for 25 years.
As the head of the Customs Department, Colonel Gibbes was in charge of collecting money for the government. This money came from taxes on goods brought in by ships. He played a big part in changing Sydney from a settlement for convicts into a busy port. Sydney became a place where businesses could grow.
Gibbes retired from the Council in 1855 and from his customs job in 1859. In 1844, he convinced the Governor of NSW, Sir George Gipps, to start building the Customs House, Sydney at Circular Quay. This was because trade by sea was growing fast. This big building project also helped people find work during a tough economic time. The new Customs House replaced older, smaller offices.
Colonel Gibbes lived in several important houses in New South Wales. These included Point Piper House, Wotonga House (now part of Admiralty House), Greycliffe House (in Vaucluse), and later Yarralumla Homestead (now Government House, Canberra).
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Early Life and Family
John George Nathaniel Gibbes was born in London in 1787. He went to Merchant Taylors' School from 1795 to 1799. His family background was a bit of a mystery for a long time. Some people believed he was connected to important figures, but these stories were not proven.
In 1814, he married Elizabeth Davies. They had eight children together. Later, while in Quebec, Canada, in 1818, he married Mary Ann Bell. He left her the next year and returned to Elizabeth.
Military Career
Gibbes joined the army in 1804 as an ensign. He quickly moved up the ranks. He became a lieutenant in 1805 and a captain in 1806. He was promoted to major in 1819, lieutenant-colonel in 1837, and colonel in 1851. He left the army in 1851.
He fought in wars against Napoleon. He saw action in South America, helping to capture Montevideo. He also fought in Buenos Aires, where there were tough street battles.
In 1809, Captain Gibbes took part in the Walcheren campaign. Many British soldiers became sick with a serious fever there. Gibbes also got sick and had to return to England to recover. After getting better, he worked as a staff officer in England. In 1815, after the Battle of Waterloo, he went on half-pay, meaning he received half his salary.
Customs Service in the British Empire
In 1819, Gibbes was made Collector of Customs in Falmouth, Jamaica. This was a rich port known for sugar. He worked there until 1827. While in Jamaica, he and his family lived on a plantation. He owned some animals and enslaved people. He liked living in the West Indies, but health problems, possibly from malaria, made him leave in 1827.
Back in England, his family lived in West London for a short time. He then successfully applied for a transfer to Great Yarmouth in Norfolk. This was a busy trading and fishing port. He worked there until 1833. He improved the customs house and worked with the navy to stop smuggling. In 1831, his oldest son, George Harvey Gibbes, got married there.
Customs Service in New South Wales
In 1833, Gibbes decided to leave England for good. He applied for the well-paid job of Collector of Customs at the Port of Sydney in the Colony of New South Wales. He arrived in Sydney in 1834 and was sworn in by Governor Richard Bourke.
As Collector of Customs, he had a seat on the Legislative Council. He helped with many maritime (sea-related) issues. One of his most important ideas was to bring gaslight to Sydney. This led to the creation of the Australian Gas Light Company in the 1840s. Gaslight changed daily life in Sydney, providing light for streets and homes, and later for cooking.
When Gibbes arrived in Sydney, he was a major. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in 1837 and full colonel in 1851. At first, he and his family rented Henrietta Villa on Point Piper. In 1843–44, they moved to "Wotonga". This was a stone house he designed and built on Kirribilli Point. It is now part of Admiralty House.
Colonel Gibbes was a strong and upright person. He was very dedicated to his job. However, the demands of his public office sometimes made him frustrated. He often asked for more staff because his department was struggling with the growing amount of shipping and trade. He was very keen to stop smuggling, which sometimes led to long legal arguments. His accounts were often messy because of his clerks, leading to arguments with the Customs Board in London. These issues sometimes made him irritable.
By 1859, his department faced many problems. His son, William John Gibbes, was involved in a customs scandal. After an investigation, Colonel Gibbes was asked to explain why he should not be removed from his job. He then retired in late 1859. He moved to Yarralumla, which his son-in-law had bought in 1837.
Wotonga House and Admiralty House
Colonel Gibbes started building Wotonga House in 1842 on Kirribilli Point. He leased the land from Robert Campbell and later bought it. He finished the house about a year later. Wotonga was a beautiful single-story house with wide verandahs. Gibbes designed it himself. The stone came from nearby, and the wood came from a timber-yard in Sydney.
Gibbes used the Customs Department's boat to travel to the building site. Once finished, his L-shaped house had a simple but elegant design. It offered amazing views across Sydney Harbour. These views allowed Gibbes to watch ships moving in and out of Darling Harbour and Circular Quay, where the Sydney Customs House was.
In 1849, Robert Campbell died. Gibbes bought the property, including the house and 5 acres of land, for about 1,400 pounds. In 1851, Gibbes sold the property. He later changed his mind about leaving the Customs Department. Instead, he leased Greycliffe House in Vaucluse and stayed in Sydney for about eight more years. Greycliffe is now a listed heritage home.
Today, Wotonga is the main part of Admiralty House. The views from the building are even more amazing now because of Sydney's tall buildings. A portrait of Colonel Gibbes, painted in 1808, hangs in Admiralty House today.
Retirement and Later Years
After retiring in late 1859, Colonel Gibbes and his wife moved to Yarralumla homestead. This is now the official home of the Governor-General of Australia in Canberra. Yarralumla was owned by his youngest child, Augustus Onslow Manby Gibbes, from 1859 to 1881.
His second daughter, Mary, had married Sir Terence Aubrey Murray. He was a well-known politician in New South Wales. Murray had bought Yarralumla in 1837. In 1859, he sold the property to his brother-in-law, Augustus.
Death and Burial
Colonel Gibbes and his wife Elizabeth lived to be very old for their time. They both died at Yarralumla homestead, Colonel Gibbes in 1873 and Elizabeth in 1874. They were first buried in a family vault at Yarralumla. In 1880, their son Augustus moved their remains to the graveyard at St John the Baptist Church, Reid. They were re-buried there under a marble headstone that is still standing. Their son Augustus, grandson Henry, and great-grandson Wing-Commander Robert "Bobby" Gibbes are also buried there. Two stained-glass windows in the church are dedicated to their memory.
Colonel Gibbes's Children
Colonel and Mrs. Gibbes had eight children, born between 1809 and 1828. All of them moved to Sydney with their parents, except for the oldest son, George Harvey Gibbes.
George Harvey Gibbes (1809–1883)
George was born in Yorkshire, England. Unlike his siblings, he stayed in England. He started working for the British government at age 18. He worked for the Duke of Wellington and later at the War Office. He retired in 1869 as Assistant Military Secretary. He married Mary Ann Fuller in 1831. They lived in London and had no children.
Eliza Julia Gibbes (1811–1892)
Eliza was born in Hampshire, England. In Sydney in 1837, she married Robert Dulhunty. He was a farmer and Police Magistrate. During the 1840s, Dulhunty and his family helped settle the Dubbo region of central-western NSW. Robert died at 51, leaving Eliza to raise their many children and manage their properties. Eliza died in Bathurst and is buried there.
William John Gibbes (1815–1868)
William John was born in York, England. In 1837, he married Harriet Eliza Jamison in Sydney. Harriet's father was Sir John Jamison, an important figure in Australia. William John lived with his wife at Regentville House near Penrith. Later, he lived in Kirribilli and Newtown. William faced serious financial difficulties and was involved in a customs scandal in 1859. He died in East Sydney at age 52.
Mary "Minnie" Gibbes (1817–1858)
Mary, called Minnie, was born in Yorkshire, England. She married Sir Terence Aubrey Murray, a well-known politician. Murray owned sheep stations, including Yarralumla. Mary had poor health and died at her home in 1858 after the birth of her third child. She is buried on the property. In 1859, Murray sold Yarralumla to Mary's brother, Augustus.
Frances "Fanny" Minto Gibbes (1822/23–1877)
Fanny was born in Jamaica. In Sydney in 1850, she married Alfred Ludlam. He was a leading politician and farmer in New Zealand. Ludlam visited Sydney for business and social reasons. Fanny was living at Wotonga House when she married Ludlam. They spent their honeymoon at Yarralumla. Fanny died in London in 1877 and was buried there. They had no children.
Edmund Minto Gibbes (1824–1850)
Edmund was also born in Jamaica. He worked for his father in the NSW Customs Department. In the 1840s, he married Frances Simmons. They had two children who died very young. Edmund became seriously ill and sailed for England in 1850. He died during the voyage and was buried at sea.
Matilda Lavinia Gibbes (1826–1916)
Matilda was born in Jamaica. She came to Sydney at age seven. In 1858, she married Augustus Berney. He worked in the Sydney Customs Department. They had four children and lived in Darlinghurst, Sydney. In 1896, Matilda's husband inherited family properties in Norfolk, England, and they moved there. Matilda died at age 90 during World War I and is buried in England.
Augustus Onslow Manby Gibbes (1828–1897)
Augustus, known as "Gussie," was the youngest child. He was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. He became a large-scale sheep farmer and horse breeder in New South Wales. He owned the Yarralumla estate from 1859 to 1881. He later settled on a farm near Goulburn, New South Wales, with his wife, Annie Bartram, and their four sons. He died in 1897 and was buried with his parents in Canberra.
Notable Descendant: Bobby Gibbes
One of Colonel Gibbes's great-grandsons was Bobby Gibbes (1916–2007). He was a leading Australian fighter pilot during World War II. He was officially credited with shooting down many enemy aircraft.
