| Christopher RollestonCMG | |
|---|---|
 Christopher Rolleston | |
| Registrar-General of New South Wales | |
| In office 1855–1864 | |
| Auditor-General of New South Wales | |
| In office 1864–1883 | |
| Preceded by | William Mayne |
| Succeeded by | Edward Rennie |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1817-07-27)27 July 1817 Watnall, Nottinghamshire, England |
| Died | 9 April 1888(1888-04-09) (aged 70) |
| Occupation | Civil servant |
Christopher Rolleston CMG (27 July 1817 – 9 April 1888) was an English-born colonial public servant in Australia.
Rolleston was born 27 July 1817 in Watnall, Nottinghamshire, the second son of Rev. John Rolleston and Elizabeth, née Smelt.
A prominent colonial civil servant in New South Wales, Rolleston served as the Register-General of New South Wales (1855 – 1864). During his time as registrar general he was responsible for the launch of compulsory registration of births, deaths and marriages. He also served in a range of previous roles including Commissioner of Crown Lands in the Darling Downs (1842-1853), private secretary to the Governor of New South Wales, Sir William Denison (1855), as well as auditor-general (1864-1883).
His commercial appointments included director, European Assurance Society, the Mercantile Bank of Sydney and the Australian Gas Light Company, and a superannuation fund commissioner.
He served as the president and later a trustee of the Australian Club. For his lifelong service to colonial New South Wales he was appointed CMG in 1879.
Legacy
A number of places in Queensland are named after him:
- The town of Rolleston in the Central Highlands Region (24°27′47″S 148°37′25″E / 24.4631°S 148.6236°E / -24.4631; 148.6236 (Rolleston (town)))
- Mount Rolleston (27°47′54″S 151°43′04″E / 27.7983°S 151.7178°E / -27.7983; 151.7178 (Mount Rolleston)) in Felton in the Toowoomba Region on the Darling Downs
Publications
- The Condition and Resources of New South Wales — A lecture delivered at Sydney, December 12, 1866. (1867)
References
- ^ Cunneen, Chris (1976). "Rolleston, Christopher (1817–1888)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- "Rolleston – population centre in the Central Highlands Region (entry 28948)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
- "Mount Rolleston – mountain in Toowoomba Region (entry 28953)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
External links
- Christopher Rolleston at the Australian Dictionary of Biography
Works by or about Christopher Rolleston at Wikisource- Mennell, Philip (1892). "Rolleston, Christopher" . The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co – via Wikisource.
- Colonial Secretary's papers 1822-1877, State Library of Queensland- includes digitised letters written by Rolleston to the Colonial Secretary of New South Wales (Specifically Reel 14)
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byWilliam Mayne | Auditor-General of New South Wales 1864–1883 |
Succeeded byEdward Rennie |