SIMON EDWIN MUNRO was born in Toowoomba on 24th March 1865 and died
at Darlo, Albion, Brisbane, on 23rd November, 1945.
He was a grazier, company director and previous part-owner of Pearl
Fishing Co. – Munro, Outridge & Co.
The eldest child of John Fraser Munro and Mary Ann Campbell, he attended
the Normal School, Brisbane's first state school, in Fortitude Valley
leaving there when he was 14 years old. He then went to work for James
Campbell & Sons, Creek Street, Brisbane – relatives of his mother. He
did very well there and eventually rose to Manager, and after 22 years
with the company, he left and went to work for James Clarke & Co who
were interested in pearl fishing. Later with Mr. Outridge he formed the
Company Munro, Outridge & Co. The fleets under the company were:-
James Clarke & Co Munro Outridge & Co Silvery Wave Pearling Co
Fleet: Fleet Fleet
Schooner "Olive" Schooner "Sagitta" Schooner "Silvery Wave"
In March 1899 a cyclone, combined with a monsoon, struck Princess Charlotte
Bay, on the North Queensland Coast, where the fleet was anchored.
The schooner, "Aladdin", 102 tons with Mr. Munro in charge, with 14 luggers,
was owned by Munro, Outridge & Co, and it and 2 other schooners, "The
Crest of the Wave"and "Olive", were the only schooners still afloat next day.
Mr. Munro had both his brothers, James and Horace, on board, and it was
some days before his parents heard – first that they were all lost on the
"Silvery Wave", and then corrected to say they were all safe on the "Aladdin",
Seventy vessels and 307 lives were lost. Other schooners in the fleet were
"Ariel" and "Gleam" – the latter built after the hurricane – as well as
about 20 Others. They were pearling mainly in the Torres Strait and the
Arafura Sea.
The Japanese had begun to experiment with what they called "Cultured Pearls"
which were produced by inserting a small foreign body into the pearl shell
and so causing a pearl to form. Mr. Munro met the originator, Mikimoto,
of this industry, in Japan, but never learnt the secret of just how they
produced the culture pearl. He produced many "blisters" but not a perfect
pearl.
Mr.Munro had become very good as a rower and won a gold medal – Brisbane
Anniversary Regatta 1887 Junior Fours won by E. Munro No 3,
a silver medal – B.C.R.C. Club Championships 1889, and also a silver cup
in B.C.R.C. Drury Cup Race 1890. He also rowed from Brisbane to
Ipswich, won the race, and then rowed home again winning 2 nice bronze
trophies.
At the beginning of the century he became interested in and part-owner of
several large pastoral holdings, viz:-
Thylungra – Forsyth, Philp (Sir Robert) & Munro. (Philp married his sister, Mina)
Kamilaroi – Burke & Munro
Bulgroo – Burke & Munro
Politic – Briggs & Munro
Hamilton Downs
Tarbrax
Stratton Sheep Station
Tilberoo
Kyabra
Lennox (formerly Wee Dun Robin )
Cluny – S.E.Munro, H.B.Munro, J.H.Nicholls, F.W.Briggs, W.H.Carter, Lindsay.
Wainui – Black and Munro. (Black came from New Zealand )
and a timber mill, Munro and Lever, at Kyogle.
He used to travel to the various properties in Cobb & Co. coaches taking
several days to reach his destination.
Other interests included a director of the Brisbane Gas Co. and Telegraph
Newspaper Co. for 31 years, a member of the Royal Queensland Golf Club and
Queensland Club and Brisbane Club.
The Telegraph Newspaper Co. was started by his father-in-Law, Herbert Hunter,
and a son of Herbert, Tom Hunter, a solicitor, became Chairman of the Board
and legal advisor for the paper.
He built a home for his parents in Bellevue Terrace, Clayfield – calling
it "Darlo" after the name of an Aboriginal camp which was once on the site,
and he eventually lived there after his marriage.
On the 28th January 1910 he married Mary Allison Miles Hunter in her father's
home, Stanley Hall, Albion – now St. Rita's Convent.
Rev. John Scott Macdonald performed the ceremony. They had 2 daughters Helena
Mary and Jessie Ruth, who were born at "Darlo".
His wife died on 3rd December 1934.
In 1936, he with his two daughters gave £1750 to the University of Queensland
to found a scholarship in Modern Languages in memory of his wife who was
a B.A. with honours in French, German and History of Sydney University and a
B.A. ad eundum of Queensland University.
In 1941 he presented a cheque for £2,500 to the University of Queensland
for the purpose of establishing a acholarship in Agricultural Science.
He continued his interest in the properties until his death – gradually
selling them as he had no son to follow on. However he did include his 2
sons-in-law on boards of various companies.
Simon Edwin Munro died on 23rd November 1945 after a stroke from which he
did not regain consciousness. His ashes are in the wall at the Mount
Gravatt Crematorium.
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