William Garnet South

William Garnet South (8 August 1855 – 27 May 1923) was an Australian police officer in Alice Springs and Chief Protector of Aborigines. He was also, for a short period, proprietor of the Stuart Arms Hotel in Alice Springs.

Early life

South was born on 8 August 1855 at Dry Creek, in Modbury, South Australia and is one of the ten children of Henry and Margaret South who had a farm in the area.

He was educated at the local school at Modbury, established by Scottish Presbyterians.

Career as a police officer

On 27 July 1877 South joined the South Australian mounted police force where he served in Melrose, Blinman, Farina, Barrows Creek and Port Augusta, Yarrowie and Peake before his 1888 appointment to Alice Springs, which was then known as Stuart.

South was one of the first police officers appointed in Alice Springs As a part of this role, at the time based at the Heavitree Gap Police Station, South formed acquaintances with and was respected by Francis Gillen, Baldwin Spencer and Edward Stirling; all of whom were leaders in their fields.

South is also credited for preventing early European settlers to Central Australia from cutting down River red gums along the Todd River for building supplies; for this Stuart Traynor credits him as being "the town's first greenie". However, he was not as giving in his attitudes towards 'half-caste' Aboriginal children who he believed should be merged in to the 'white' community and he was directly involved in removing these children from Aboriginal camps and forming part of the Stolen Generations.This action was enabled by the Aborigines Act 1911, which established his position, and made him, through his position of chief protector, the legal guardian of 'every aboriginal and half-caste child'.

South did not think this was enough and called for the Aborigines (Training of Children) Act 1923

Later life

South died of heart disease, following a year long illness, on 27 May 1923, in North Adelaide

Personal life On 2 October 1882, at St. Luke's Church of England in Adelaide, South married Fanny Stevens; the couple would go on to have four children.

On 12 February 1909, following Fanny's death in 1908, South married Sophia Lalor, nee Reid, a widow with five children.