Tollemache Heriot Eslick

Tollemache Heriot Eslick (1877–1948), more commonly known as T. H. Eslick, who also used the name Thomas Henry Eslick, was a twice-bankrupt showman, prone to exaggeration, who indicated he was an English-born construction engineer specialising in amusement parks and ballrooms. He was given to be a "bluff and good natured Cornishman with a hearty sense of humour and a ready wit", taller than , and of good health. Not much has been independently written of Eslick, and much information derived from newspaper interviews – the entrepreneur indicating in 1914 he was born in India, contrasting with his usual stated English origins.

Early life Eslick indicated he was born on 23 May 1877 at Aberdare, Glamorganshire, Wales, to British parents.

By his own words, his father was a Wesleyan minister, educated at Saint Augustine's College, Liverpool, trained in architecture and engineering in Liverpool, England, and met his wife in Blackpool, England.

His first wife died in England in 1924, and he married his second wife Florence (23 June 1893–?) in Walla Walla, Oregon, United States of America. She held and continued to hold American citizenship. She had a son, Charles Theile, given to reside at Commonwealth Parade, Manly, Sydney in 1941. Theile was an electrician.

Career Examples of Eslick's involvements included:

1912 Luna Park (Melbourne, Australia), supervised by John Monash (1865–1931) originally to be Brisbane's Luna Park, where the ballroom was based on the La Monica ballroom. War conditions impacted the construction completion.

Although not substantiated, it is indicated Eslick was also involved the design and building of original motion picture sound studios at Elstree, London, England

It was fixing a revolving circular water tank at a tourist attraction at South Shore, Blackpool that led him to his specialty in engineering.

Work took him to the Franco-British Exhibition in Shepherd's Bush, London, where he worked with building a royal scenic railway, with Lawsha and John Henry Isles, prior to 1908. Queen Alexandra was one of the first to ride this railway. His third scenic railway effort was at New Brighton, before moving onto amusement parks. The Exposition Internationale at Nancy, France, was followed by the Edinburgh Marine Gardens (1909–1939). c. 1918, in Brisbane, building some theatres in "north coastal cities" 1920, organised the Automotive Show in Adelaide, Australia, while also involved with the Royal Palais de Danse, Adelaide. While in Adelaide, he proposed park entertainment near the Adelaide Oval and the River Torrens, with a scenic railway 1922, left Australia 1938 to 1942, back in Brisbane for the Luna Park construction. In January 1941 be advertised for an adventure to establish a Pacific Island Paradise, before being bankrupt by late 1942.

In November 1942 he separately stated before a court that he had returned to Australia on a five-year contract to establish a system of music teaching, sold his contract after six weeks, and sought to establish "perambulating cafes" in Sydney; then was to do a wax-works show, before being invited to Brisbane to put up an amusement park in Brisbane. In June 1941 he resigned and left Brisbane in twenty-four hours and returned to Sydney where he worked with the Manly Amusement Pier. It was also noted around the same period that he had relinquished his interest in the Manly Pier and was conducting either a picture theatre or a hotel in a Sydney suburb. He claimed ill-health of osteoarthritis in both knees and other complaints, was unfit to travel, and sought a debt discharge; for which it was noted that Eslick could not travel from Sydney to Brisbane, yet intended to travel to the US. The matter was still active in December 1945, where creditors were seeking a total of £982. Unsecured creditor liabilities amounted to £1382. Eslink was now aged 69, and his wife Florence wanted to return to the US as she felt a stranger in Australia.

While commencing an autobiography, it appears this has never been published. Eslick listed his qualifications as the Member of the Institute of Civil Engineers (London), Institute of Civil Engineers (India), Institute of Civil Engineers of New Zealand, and 'IIJ'; and a member of the Académie Française.