Charles Scrivener

Charles Robert Scrivener ( born November 2, 1855 in Windsor, New South Wales, † September 26, 1923 in Killara ( now a suburb of Sydney ) ) was an Australian surveyor ( surveyor ). He measured a number of areas in New South Wales. Its results served as the basis for determining the location of the newly built capital of Canberra and the position of the Australian Capital Territory.

He was hired in 1876 by ​​the Land Department of the State of New South Wales and trained from 1877 to 1879 for geodesics. In 1880 he passed the license exam with the best possible result. His work contributed significantly to opening up the hilly hinterland of New South Wales. In 1904 he was commissioned to determine the location for a new capital. Due to its recommendations and detailed topographic maps Parliament election fell on the area around Dalgety on the Snowy River. New South Wales, however, did not accept this decision and threatened to leave the Commonwealth of Australia, as this location was too close to Melbourne.

After another lengthy negotiations, the Parliament decided in October 1908 exclusively for the triangle Canberra - Yass -Lake George. Scrivener was commissioned to survey four potential sites in the area. He recommended the catchment areas of the Cotter River, the Molonglo River and the Queanbeyan River. New South Wales joined then on January 1st 1910 from the Capital Territory. Scriveners maps has been sent around the world to the participants of the Canberra urban design competition.

Scrivener 1910 was appointed the first director of the Australian land surveying federal office. In 1915 he retired and died eight years later. The Scrivener Dam, the Lake Burley Griffin jams in the city center of Canberra is named after him.