John Petrie

John Petrie (15 January 1822 – 8 December 1892) was a Scottish-born Australian politician, architect, stonemason and building contractor in Brisbane who became the city's first Mayor.

Private life

John Petrie was born 15 January 1822 in Edinburgh, the eldest son of Andrew Petrie and Mary Cuthbertson. He arrived in Sydney with his family in 1831 and was educated at John Dunmore Lang's school. In 1837 he went to Moreton Bay, where his father had been appointed clerk of works, and accompanied him on explorations to the west and north of Brisbane; he also became a champion oarsman. Aware that his son might be unduly influenced by the incarcerated men at the penal colony, his father only selected workmen that he considered beyond reproach to come to his home in the evening to teach his sons cabinet making and carpentry skills.

On 5 September 1850, in Brisbane, Petrie married Jane Keith McNaught, Amelia Mary Petrie, born in Brisbane on 5 November 1852

As Mayor he had welcomed the first Governor of Queensland, Sir George Bowen, to Brisbane in 1859.

Practical experience and common sense fitted Petrie for laying the sound foundations of municipal administration in Brisbane and for guiding the council in providing public works and services. Closely associated with the Enoggera Dam while it was planned by the council, he later saw it constructed as a member of the Board of Water Works; as its chairman in 1875 he was a leader in implementing the Gold Creek Dam and planning of the Mount Crosby Weir. After serving as mayor, he had difficulty in 'playing second fiddle' and was prone to indulge in such manoeuvres as walking out of council meetings.

Petrie devoted much time to community welfare. For years he served on the management committee of the Brisbane Hospital and was chairman after 1885. He was also a member of the Board for Administering Outdoor Relief and the Central Board of Health. Appointed to the New South Wales Commission of the Peace in 1859, he remained a member of the Brisbane bench until 1892. He gave long service on the Brisbane Licensing Board and was often returning officer for the parliamentary elections. A trustee of the Brisbane general cemetery and of Bowen Park and a ranger for protecting native birds on the Enoggera Water Reserve, he was a director of several building societies and of the Queensland Steam Navigation Co. Elected to the North Brisbane School of Arts Committee in 1864 and 1866, he was also an enthusiastic member of the first Masonic lodge in Queensland.

A staunch Presbyterian, he was an elder and worked with enthusiasm in building St Pauls Presbyterian Church, Spring Hill. Integrity and long association with the city made him one of the best known citizens of Brisbane. He died in December 1892.