John Hay Goodlet (22 March 1835 – 13 January 1914) was a Scottish-born Australian timber merchant and philanthropist.

Life

Goodlet was born in

Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...

to merchant George Goodlet and Mary Hay. He migrated to

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

in 1852, working for a building firm until 1855, when he moved to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. He imported timber from

Jervis Bay Jervis Bay () is a oceanic bay and village in the Jervis Bay Territory and on the South Coast (New South Wales), South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. A area of land around the southern headland of the bay, known as the Jervis Bay Terri ...

, and entered a partnership with James Smith in 1859. On 3 May 1860 he married Ann Dickson, who would go on to be the third president of the

Young Women's Christian Association The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swit ...

's Australian branch in 1886. She was also the first President of the Presbyterian Women's Missionary Association when it was created by 1891. John Goodlet had a sawmill in Erskine Street and later a brickworks at Granville, a pottery in

Surry Hills Surry Hills is an Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), inner-east suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Surry Hills is immediately south-east of the Sydney central business district in the Local government in Australia, local gover ...

and two further mills. He was twice chairman of the

Australian Mutual Provident Society AMP Limited (formerly Australian Mutual Provident Society) is an Australian financial services company that operates in Australia and New Zealand. It offers superannuation and investment products, financial advice and banking services through '' ...

, and was a railway commissioner from 1890 to 1891. He was also a lieutenant-colonel in the militia. Goodlet survived the 1893 bank crash with difficulty, but had recovered well and became known for charitable donations, including

Sydney Hospital Sydney Hospital, historically known as the Rum Hospital, is a major hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Macquarie Street in the Sydney central business district. It is the oldest hospital in Australia, dating back to 1788, and has been at ...

, the

Benevolent Society The Benevolent Society, founded by Edward Smith Hall in 1813, is Australia's first and oldest charity. The society is an independent, not-for-profit organization whose main goals include helping families, older Australians and people with disabil ...

and, most significantly, the Presbyterian church. He was a

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

representative at the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Churches and at the

1910 World Missionary Conference The 1910 World Missionary Conference, or the Edinburgh Missionary Conference, was held on 14 to 23 June 1910. Some have seen it as both the culmination of nineteenth-century Protestant Christian missions and the formal beginning of the modern Pr ...

. His wife died in 1903 and on 3 February 1904 he married an enthusiastic Presbyterian named Elizabeth Mary Forbes who was the secretary of the Presbyterian Women's Missionary Association when his first wife was President. Goodlet died, childless, in 1914. His nephew, Alfred Ingram Macfarlan (1861-1929), had come from Glasgow to join the business in 1900, serving as secretary for many years.The Sydney Morning Herald, Sep. 14, 1929, p. 11, "Obituary- Mr A. I. Macfarlan"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodlet, John 1835 births 1914 deaths Australian merchants People from Leith Australian timber merchants Scottish emigrants to Australia 19th-century Australian philanthropists 19th-century Australian businesspeople