Joseph Anderson Panton
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Joseph Anderson Panton (2 June 1831 – 25 October 1913) was a Scottish-born Australian magistrate and goldfields commissioner. Panton was born in Knockiemil, Aberdeenshire,
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
, the son of John Panton (of the Hudson's Bay Company service) and his wife Alexina McKay, ''née'' Anderson. Joseph Panton was educated at the
Scottish Naval and Military Academy The Scottish Naval and Military Academy in Edinburgh was a school opened on 8 November 1825 and closed in 1869. It catered mostly to young gentlemen intending a career with the Army, Navy or, especially, the forces of the East India Company. In 18 ...
, developing an interest in drawing. He later studied geology amongst other subjects at the
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
, but did not finish a degree. Panton's uncle, Colonel Joseph Anderson, suggested that he migrate to Australia; Panton arrived in Sydney aboard the ''Thomas Arbuthnot'' in March 1851. He then went to the
Port Phillip District The Port Phillip District was an administrative division of the Colony of New South Wales from 9 September 1836 until 1 July 1851, when it was separated from New South Wales and became the Colony of Victoria. In September 1836, NSW Colonial Sec ...
. After farming briefly at
Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ke ...
, Panton tried for gold without luck at
Mount Alexander Mount Alexander is a mountain located approximately 125 km north-west of Melbourne, near the town of Harcourt. It rises 350 metres above the surrounding area to a level of 744 metres above sea level. Being a prominent local landmark, ...
. Then Panton applied for a position as an officer in the gold escort and was appointed assistant commissioner in 1852 at Kangaroo Gully near
Bendigo, Victoria Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban populat ...
. A year later he was senior assistant commissioner at Bendigo and then senior commissioner in 1854. Panton investigated resentment against the Chinese gold-diggers and recommended a Chinese protectorate; this was adopted by Governor Charles Hotham in 1855. Panton had helped to organize the Melbourne Exhibition in 1854 and was a commissioner for the
Melbourne International Exhibition (1880) The Melbourne International Exhibition is the eighth World's fair officially recognised by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) and the first official World's Fair in the Southern Hemisphere. Preparations After being granted self-gov ...
. In 1858, Panton went to Scotland and then to
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
to study art with a friend of his,
Hubert de Castella Charles Hubert de Castella (27 March 1825 – 30 October 1907) was a Swiss-Australian writer, artist and winemaker. Early life De Castella was born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, eldest son of Dr. Jean François Paul de Castella, and his second ...
. On Panton's return to Australia, he was appointed warden and magistrate at the Jamieson-Wood's Point and next at the Anderson's Creek goldfields. Panton then became magistrate at Heidelberg, where he also mapped the
Yarra Valley The Yarra Valley is the region surrounding the Yarra River in Victoria, Australia. The river originates approximately east of the Melbourne central business district and flows towards it and out into Port Phillip Bay. The name Yarra Vall ...
, naming Panton Hill. Panton's Gap where the road to Ben Cairn and Donna Buang branches from the Don Road near
Healesville, Victoria Healesville is a town in Victoria, Australia, 52 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Healesville recorded a population of 7,589 in the 2021 census. ...
derives its name from a small house he had there. He also named
Mount Donna Buang Mount Donna Buang is a mountain in the southern reaches of the Victorian Alps of the Great Dividing Range, located in the Australian state of Victoria. Approximately from Melbourne with an elevation of , Mount Donna Buang is the closest snowf ...
which he first called Mount Acland but renamed it after learning the Aboriginal name. From Heidelberg, Panton was transferred to Geelong and moved to Melbourne as senior magistrate from 1874 to 1907. Panton was active in the Victorian Artists Association and the Victorian Academy of Art which developed into the
Victorian Artists Society The Victorian Artists Society, which can trace its establishment to 1856 in Melbourne, promotes artistic education, art classes and gallery hire exhibition in Australia. It was formed in March 1888 when the Victorian Academy of Arts (previously V ...
. A fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (London), Panton was also vice-president of the
Royal Geographical Society of Australasia On 22 June 1883, the Geographical Society of Australasia started at a meeting in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. A branch was formed in Victoria in the same year. In July 1885, both the Queensland and the South Australian branches started. ...
, Victorian Branch. In 1895 Panton declined the honour of knighthood but was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG). Predeceased by his wife, he died at St. Kilda, Victoria on 25 October 1913 and was survived by two daughters, one of whom, Alice, was a well-known portrait painter. In 1882, the Victorian government botanist, Ferdinand von Mueller named a newly described plant from Western Australia, '' Eremophila pantonii'' in his honour.


External links


Birthday honours list, 28 May 1895
Panton, CMG
Obituary of J.A. Panton


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Panton, Joseph Anderson 1831 births 1913 deaths Public servants from Melbourne Australian cartographers People from Aberdeenshire 19th-century Australian public servants Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia