William Robert Black

William Robert Black, circa 1898

William Robert Black (1859–1930) was an Australia mine-owner and philanthropist. He donated to establish many Presbyterian churches and supported schools, orphanages and other charitable institutions in Queensland.[1][2]

Biography

On 20 November 1922, the Queensland Governor Matthew Nathan officially opened the Industrial School for Boys on a site between Moggill Road and Jerrang Road (now 724 Moggill Road, 27.5093°S 152.9564°E / -27.5093; 152.9564 (Industrial School for Boys (former))) at Indooroopilly (now Chapel Hill). It was operated by the Salvation Army for orphaned, abandoned and neglected boys. The 22-acre (8.9 ha) site was purchased for £2300 by Black and donated to the Salvation Army, He also paid £2700 to extend and renovate the buildings on site and for new furnishings. He also provided for £100 per annum for maintenance. When it opened, there were 35 boys under the supervision of the first superintendent, Ensign Rogan. The school could provide accommodation for 50 boys supervised by nine staff. In 1942 the school relocated to Washpool.[3][4] As at 2021, the site is still owned by the Salvation Army but is reduced to 53,320 square metres (13.18 acres)[5] and is used to operate The Cairns Aged Care Centre.[6]

Beneficiaries

W. R. Black Home for Children, 1928

Black made substantial donations to a number of institutions, including:

Churches

• the Presbyterian Church at Burleigh Heads [7]
• the Presbyterian Church at Cannon Hill [8]
• the Presbyterian Church at Enoggera [9]
• the Presbyterian Church in Maleny [10]
• the War Memorial stained glass window at St Andrew's Presbyterian (now Uniting) Church in the Brisbane CBD [11]

Education

• Scots PGC College in Warwick [12]
• Fairholme College in Toowoomba [13]
• Blackheath College in Charters Towers [14][15]
• Emmanuel College, University of Queensland [1]

Children's homes

• W. R. Black Children's Home at Chelmer [16]
• Blackheath Home for Children at Oxley [1][17]
• Salvation Army's Industrial School for Boys at Indooroopilly (now Chapel Hill) 

Other institutions

• Gold Coast Hospital in Southport [18]
• Canberra Hotel in the Brisbane CBD, a temperance hotel [19]

References

1. Brier-Mills, Margery (1979), "Black, William Robert (1859–1930)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, archived from the original on 24 September 2021, retrieved 25 September 2021
2. "OBITUARY". The Queenslander. Queensland, Australia. 9 October 1930. p. 54. Retrieved 25 September 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
3. "Industrial School for Boys (1922 - 1942)". Find and Connect. National Redress Scheme. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
4. "A PUBLIC BENEFACTOR". The Brisbane Courier. No. 20, 229. Queensland, Australia. 21 November 1922. p. 8. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
5. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
6. "The Cairns Aged Care Centre at Chapel Hill". The Salvation Army Australia. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
7. Burleigh Heads Co-Operative Church (1975), Service for the opening and dedication of the extentions [sic] to the Burleigh Heads Co-operative Church, Burleigh Street, Burleigh Heads, Gold Coast, Saturday, 6th December, 1975, Burleigh Heads Co-Operative Church, archived from the original on 30 August 2021, retrieved 30 August 2021
8. "Cannon Hill Presbyterian Church (former)". Brisbane Heritage Register. Brisbane City Council. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
9. "Enoggera Presbyterian Church and Hall (former)". Brisbane Heritage Register. Brisbane City Council. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
10. Hunter, Margaret (2007). "Reflections on the Activities of the Maleny Presbyterian Church from 1907 to 2007" (PDF). Maleny Historical Society. pp. 15, 17. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
11. "War Memorial Window | Heritage & Architecture". Saint Andrew's UCA. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
12. "Our history". SCOTS PGC College. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
13. "Fairholme's College House System: Black, Cameron, Powell & Stephens Houses". www.fairholme.qld.edu.au. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
14. "Thornburgh House (entry 600405)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
15. ""Remembering Blackheath": Celebrating 100 Years". Blackheath and Thornburgh College. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
16. "Hurlton". Brisbane Heritage Register. Brisbane City Council. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
17. "Blackheath Home for Boys". Mapping Brisbane History. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
18. "SOUTHPORT". The Brisbane Courier. No. 19, 873. 30 September 1921. p. 4. Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
19. ""THE CANBERRA."". The Brisbane Courier. No. 21, 688. Queensland, Australia. 1 August 1927. p. 14. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2021 – via National Library of Australia.