Page:History of Adelaide and vicinity.djvu/427

 ADELAIDE AND VICINITY 401 Mr. William Gordon Brookman IN the whole history of the Western Australian goldfields there is no name better known than that of W. G. Brookman. His exploits are encircled with romance, for fortunate feats are eer pregnant with sensational interest for the reader. His record has been marvellous, and it is said of him that whatever he touched in Western Australia turned out well. Every- one has heard of Mr. Brookman and his unparalleled success in the Golden W^est. They regard his performances with mixed feelings of curiosity and wonder, and con- vincingly feel that his discoveries have kept the sun of prosperity warm in the Colony at times when, but for the existence of these gigantic treasure results, the prestige and the fortune alike of Western Australia would have sunk to a low ebb. His services are not to be reckoned by the length of personal success, but by the more praiseworthy calculus of the gocxl he has conferred on that Colony as a whole. Just when a bright example was required, the world - renowned Great Boulder stejjped into the breach and declared its extraordinary wealth. Its consistent richness has proved, in great measure, the salvation of the goldfields. Hammer & Co, Photo T I 1 ) 1 i IMr. l-Srookman was born at Prospect, Adelaide, in 1863, and received his education at Whinham Ccjllege. His scholastic career was creditable, and he succeeded in carrying off several scholarships. F"or several years after leaving school he was employed in the Government service of South Australia, but its monotonous n'gimcii and limited scope did not tend towards enamoring him with the Civil -Service of the Province. Growing tired ultimately of its surroundings, he resolved to launch forth on the commercial world, and embarked on several enterprising ventures in the city. From the early moments of his introduction to business life he showed an aptitude for acquiring a rapid and clear knowledge of its many-sided details, and a thorough practical exposition of his commercial attainments pnjved him a