Torrington Blatchford (1871–1938) was an Australian
geologist and was Government Geologist in
Western Australia from 1929 until 1934.
Birth and education
Blatchford was born in
Araluen, New South Wales
Araluen is a small town near Braidwood in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, in Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council. It lies in the valley of Araluen Creek, that joins the Deua River at roughly the midpoint in its course. ...
to the prosperous gold buyer John Huxham Blatchford (1828-1894) and Thirza Pierce Blatchford (1831-1905). Both parents were born in
Plymouth, Devon
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth' ...
, and met and married in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
. From the family home in
Braidwood, New South Wales, Blatchford attended
Newington College (1886—1891) and was active in the
Cadets Corps and the Rifle Team. He went up to the
University of Sydney and graduated as a
Bachelor of Arts in 1894.
Blatchford then commenced study in the Faculty of Engineering but this was interrupted by his move to Western Australia.
Western Australia
In 1897, Blatchford moved to Western Australia and was appointed as senior assistant geologist in the Mines Department. He left the department after four years to become assistant metallurgist and surveyor to the Paddington Consols Company. After 18 months he went into partnership as a mining engineer in the firm of Black, Blatchford and Grut in
Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area includ ...
. After private practice, he rejoined the Mines Department in 1912 and subsequently was appointed Assistant State Mining Engineer. He became Government Geologist in November 1928 and on an expedition to
Central Australia
Central Australia, also sometimes referred to as the Red Centre, is an inexactly defined region associated with the geographic centre of Australia. In its narrowest sense it describes a region that is limited to the town of Alice Springs and i ...
in 1931 he went in search of
Lasseter's Reef.
In recognition of his geological work in the
Kimberleys
The Kimberley is the northernmost of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami deserts in the region of the Pilbara, an ...
, largely in connection with the search for oil, he was appointed to the executive of the
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is South Africa's central and premier scientific research and development organisation. It was established by an act of parliament in 1945 and is situated on its own campus in the cit ...
.
Blatchford died in
Roeburne, Western Australia,
and was survived by a widow and three sons.
Publications
* ''The geology of the Coolgardie Goldfield'' (Perth, W.A., Government Printer, 1899)
* ''The Phillips River mining district'' (Perth, W.A., Government Printer, 1900)
* ''The mining geology of the Kanowna main reef line, Kanowna, North-East Coolgardie Goldfield'' (Perth, W.A., Government Printer, 1912)
* ''Geological investigations in the area embracing the Burbanks and Londonderry mining centres, with special reference to the ore deposits and their future prospects'' (Perth, W.A., Government Printer, 1913)
* ''Mineral resources of the north west division, investigations in 1912'' (Perth, W.A., Government Printer, 1913)
* ''Interim report on the graphite deposits at Munglinup, Eucla division'' (Perth, W.A., Government Printer, 1917)
* ''The geology of portions of the Kimberley Division, with special reference to the Fitroy Basin and the possibilities of the occurrence of mineral oil'' (Perth, W.A., Government Printer, 1927)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blatchford, Torrington
1871 births
1938 deaths
People from Perth, Western Australia
Australian geologists
People educated at Newington College
University of Sydney alumni