Macpherson Robertson

Sir Macpherson Robertson (Known colloquially as "Mr Mac".)

Early life Macpherson Robertson was born in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. He was the eldest of seven children of Macpherson David Robertson, a Scottish carpenter born in Uruguay, and his Irish wife, Margaret (née Browne). The family came to Ballarat in search of gold but fell on hard times, with the father abandoning them and moving to Fiji. In 1869, his mother returned to Leith, in Scotland, together with Macpherson, his three siblings and another child on the way. Cherry Ripe, Old Gold Chocolates, Milk Kisses and Columbines. By 1900, it had become the largest confectionery works in Australia with agencies in every state. As part of his marketing strategy, Macpherson maintained a distinctive whiteness to everything he could – the buildings in the Fitzroy factory complex were all painted white and all of his several thousand employees wore white uniforms. Macpherson himself ensured he was always seen in public dressed immaculately in white and rode in a carriage behind two white ponies. The factory complex became known as "White City". In 1921 he promoted a romanticised book of his enterprise entitled A Young Man and a Nail Can. In 1925 he presented a silver mounted shield to establish the MacRobertson International Croquet Shield. The event is now played every three or four years in rotation between England, Australia, New Zealand and the United States. In 1928 he sponsored the MacRobertson Expedition, a circuit of Australia in two Karrier trucks. The five-month expedition departed from Parliament House in Melbourne on 12 April and returned on 12 September 1928. In 1929 he financed a combined British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic expedition. Sir Douglas Mawson named Mac. Robertson Land in his honour. He contributed towards other public works projects as part of the centenary celebrations including the MacRobertson Bridge over the Yarra River at Grange Road, a fountain in front of the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance and the herbarium in the Royal Botanic Gardens. In 1934 he co-founded Western Australian airline MacRobertson Miller Airlines (MMA) with pilot Horrie Miller. In the same year he sponsored the MacRobertson Air Race with a prize fund of $75,000, an air race from London to Melbourne.

Honours Robertson was appointed a Knight Bachelor on 3 June 1932, for services to Antarctic expeditions. On New Year's Day 1935, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE), for philanthropic services in Victoria.

In 1931, he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, in London.