Page:History of Adelaide and vicinity.djvu/424

 398 ADELAIDE AND VICINITY Mr. George Brookman MR. GEORGE BROOKMAN is a capitalist who devotes a jrreat deal of his life to the solving of financial problems in the management of his large interests. He is a native of Glasgow, and came to South Australia with his father, Mr. Benjamin Brookman, 45 years ago. His education was imparted at the school of Mr. James Bath, the present Secretary to the Minister of Education. Upon leaving school, Mr. Brookman entered upon a commercial career in the well-known establishment of Messrs. D. & J. Fowler, Adelaide. With that firm he served for 15 years, and then, in conjunction with Mr. W. Finlay- son, he took over its retail grocery business in King William Street. This was probably the largest retail business in South Australia. At the end of 10 years, he sold his interest in the concern, and devoted himself extensively to financial operations of diverse kinds. He became a member of the Stock Exchange of Adelaide in 1 890, and almost immediately purchased important interests. At that time the Broken Hill silver boom was attracting the attention of Australian Stock PLxchanges ; but already the inflation had vanished from silver-mining. For a year or two, Mr. Brookman then pursued a quiet career on the Adelaide Exchange. The share market, whether gold or silver, copper or lead, had sunk to a low ebb, and the financial deals decreased in volume and importance. It was not until the astounding discoveries of gold in the deserts of Western Australia that a revival took place in local mining speculation. Such sensational reports as those made by Bayley and Ford, John G. Dunn, L. R. Menzie, P. Hannan, and Flannagan, and the Londonderry prospectors, were bound to stimulate and excite the market. Of the con.sequent advantages following upon the Western Australian discoveries. South Australia reaped not a few. After Hannan and Mannagan had discovered Kalgoorlie, and before J. J. Cassidy was generally known to be developing a quartz reef in that neighborhood, Mr. Hammer c^ Co., Photo