Rudall John
| Type of person | Individual |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1820 |
| Place of birth | Exeter, England |
| Date of arrival | 1853 |
| Principal occupation | Lawyer, Town Clerk and Magistrate |
| Date of death | 1897 |
| Place of death | Davenport (Port Augusta) |
John Rudall was born on 6 April 1820 at Exeter, England. He was educated in Paris at the College Henri Quatre and then returned to London where he was articled to a firm of solicitors.
John decided to leave London for Australia and he arrived in Victoria in 1853. John proceeded to Ballarat. Having had no success on the goldfields, John decided to return to England but was persuaded by a friend to go to South Australia to join the law firm of Messrs. Cullen and Wigley. John travelled to Adelaide and married Matilda Bryce Bruce at St Mary's Church, Sturt on 10 October 1854 and he settled soon afterwards in Gawler where he established a legal practice, Rudall & Rudall Lawyers.
John and Matilda had ten children who were educated in Gawler for some years before going to schools in Adelaide. John and Matilda's house in Gawler, called 'Bonhay' after his childhood home in Exeter, was situated near St. George's Church.
John was active in the movement that led to the severance of Gawler from the District Council of Barossa West and its incorporation as a municipality. When the Gawler Corporation was established in 1857, John was appointed town clerk but continued his occupation as solicitor, carrying out both duties for 23 years. Upon relinquishing his connection with the corporation in 1881, John was appointed Stipendiary Magistrate to coincide with the opening of the Cowan Street Courthouse. He continued to preside over the courts of the district until 1889 when he was transferred to Port Augusta in succession to the late Mr Wigley.
John was a member of the Freemasons' Lodge, Gawler and had occupied all the chairs in the order. John was a linguist and a fluent speaker of Italian and French.
George E. Loyau "The Gawler Handbook" [G.E.L.] pp166 and 167 "After McKinlay's death it was universally felt that something should be done to perpetuate his memory, and accordingly, meetings were held in Gawler and a Committee was formed to carry out the wish of the people - vis., that a suitable monument should be erected "to commemorate his personal worth and the services rendered by him to the colonies as an explorer." The site selected was at the terminal point of Murray-street, at its junction with Cowan-street, and adjacent to the old burial ground. The Committee chosen to carry out the matter, and who brought it to a successful issue, were as follows:- Chairman, W.F. Wincey, Esq., J.P., Mayor of Gawler; Treasurers, J. Thornley, Esq., J.P., Manager Bank of South Australia, Gawler, Richard Holland, Esq., J.P., Turretfield, near Gawler; Hon. Secretary, John Rudall, Esq., Gawler; Committee, A.H.F. Bartels, Esq., Mayor of Adelaide, E.M. Bagot, Esq., J.P., Charles Bonney, Esq., J.P., E.S. Burkett, Esq., J.P., W.R. Cave, Esq., John Chambers, Esq. ,J.P., Rev. Canon Coombs, Hon. J. Crozier, M.L.C., Walter Duffield, Esq., J.P., James Dawson, Esq., Samuel Davenport, Esq., J.P., James Fergusson, Esq., Robert Fotheringham, Esq., Thomas Fotheringham, Esq., Rev. James Gordon, Joseph Gilbert, Esq., J.P., F.A.Grant, Esq., J.P., E.L. Grundy, Esq., John Hope, Esq., Thomas Hogarth, Esq., J.P., G.W. Hawkes, Esq., S.M., J.H.Howe, Esq., Joseph Keynes, Esq., J.P., Hon. A.B. Murray, M.L.C., Rev. J.C. McMchael, James Martin, Esq., J.P., John Mitchell, Esq., J.P., H.T. Morris, Esq., J.P., W.F.H. Popham, Esq., M.D., Ross T. Reid, Esq., Henry Scott, Esq., J.P., Dr. Schomburgk, H.C. Swan, Esq., S.M., R.J. Turner, Esq., S.M., and George Warren, Esq., J.P.
In 2007 the Town of Gawler recognised John as a Significant Identity.
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