Ragless (Cr) John Roy
| Type of person | Individual |
|---|---|
| Date of arrival | 1979 |
| Date of departure | 2004 |
John Ragless has a pioneering connection with Gawler through his Great Grandfather, also John Ragless. The earlier John and his brothers bought farming land from the Crown, and in 1842 were among the first in the district to grow wheat. He established a small horse powered flour mill in 1844; to be followed by a partnership with Stephen King to build a modern steam powered mill in Jacob Street. The partnership was of short duration, Stephen King going on to develop Kingsford, his property near Sheoak Log, and John to Pioneer Wataga, Yalpara, and Witchelina sheep stations, in what was then the far North.
The present day John Ragless thoroughly enjoyed his 25 years residence in Gawler, (broken by 2 years in Balaklava in the mid eighties). Arriving with his family in 1979, he set about building a home in Gawler East, and taking up his first community interests. These were membership of Rotary; he went on to become Secretary and President, and a member of District Committee, being awarded a Paul Harris Fellow in 2002 for services to Rotary and the Community ... And the Parish Council of saint George’s Anglican Church; later becoming warden, and a founding member of the Parish Council of Saint Francis, (a congregation associated with Trinity College).
Politics were among John’s interests, serving as Secretary and President of the local branch of the Liberal Party, Mid North Regional Chairman, and delegate to the State Committee. He also served for six years as a councillor on the Gawler Corporation, most of those as Chairman of the Infrastructure Committee. Until its closure, John also acted intermittently as an Honorary Magistrate at the Gawler Court House, and as a Justice of the Peace assisting the local police. His interest in meeting procedure and public speaking, gave rise to him becoming a critic and mentor for Rural Youth, and the Gawler Penguin Club.
Trinity College Gawler was a major interest; John served on the Board, and concurrently, various committees for ten years, most of those as Vice Chairman. He was honoured to be made a Life Member of the College in 2009.
John had come to Gawler to establish a Managing Agency for the AMP Society, (similar to a franchise). This proved to be a successful and satisfying venture; he retired in 1996 enabling him to devote more time to his many interests; leaving Gawler in 2004 to be closer to his children and grandchildren.
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