STANDISH, William Henry

STANDISH, William Henry (1828–1910), foreman of works, was born near Limerick, Ireland, son of Richard Standish, a landowner, and Elizabeth Martin. He was trained in agriculture but was also well grounded in carpentry and blacksmithing. After arriving in Sydney in 1855, he worked as a miner in New South Wales before moving to Queensland where he married Jane Moffatt in 1863. Thereafter he worked briefly as a contractor before becoming an overseer for HT PLEWS and from 1864, for Plew’s successor, FJ BYERLEY, Engineer of Roads for the Northern district, based at Rockhampton. Standish opened roads to Peak Downs via Gainsford, and from Springsure and Clermont to St Lawrence. As Foreman of Works, he oversaw the erection of major and important bridges in Central Queensland designed by AW JARDINE: the laminated, timber arched Dawson River Bridge at Gainsford, and the under-strutted Alligator Creek bridge at Rockhampton. After the Roads Branch was abolished in 1880, he joined Jardine at the Gogango Divisional Board as superintendent of works, continuing with the re-constituted Livingstone Shire Council until he retired about 1901. He died at Rockhampton.