Andrew Fairweather


Andrew Fairweather was an Australian mine manager in Broken Hill, New South Wales.

History

Fairweather was born in Adelaide, son of marine engineer Andrew Abercrombie Fairweather and his wife Cecilia Russell Fairweather née Leason, who married in 1879.
Fairweather was educated at LeFevre's Peninsula Primary School and Port Adelaide High School, winning a scholarship in December 1895 which took him to Way College in 1896, from which institution he gained an entrance scholarship to Adelaide University, graduating BSc in 1901.
He had his first experience in a working mine was underground at the Broken Hill Central mine, operated by the Sulphide Corporation, then in July 1904 was appointed to the underground technical staff of the Broken Hill South mine, eventually becoming underground superintendent. When general manager W. E. Wainwright moved to Melbourne in March 1920, Fairweather took over his responsibilities as mine superintendent.
In 1932, he notoriously predicted the imminent exhaustion of the Broken Hill deposits and refused to waste shareholders' money on further exploration.
In 1937, he succeeded Wainwright as general manager of Broken Hill South Ltd, and retired to the family home, Prescott Terrace, Rose Park, South Australia in 1944.
He was president of the Broken Hill Mine Managers' Association from 1935 to his retirement in 1944.
He was a longtime member of the Australasian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy and elected its president in 1932. In 1945, he was awarded its bronze medal.
He was a faithful servant of the company, but respected by workers and the Unions for his honest dealing with the men and concern for their welfare.

Other activities

Fairweather served as director of
  • Broken Hill South Ltd 1944 following the death of Sir Colin Fraser.
  • Electrolytic Zinc Co. of Australasia Ltd from 1947
  • Electrolytic Refining & Smelting Co. of Australia Pty Ltd from 1946
  • Western New South Wales Electric Power Pty Ltd from 1944
He relinquished each of these positions in 1954

Family

Frederick Fairweather married Mary Abercrombie in Ireland in 1851, emigrated to South Australia aboard Woodstock, arrived July 1851.
  • Frederick James Fairweather married Rebecca Rachel Ingram on 24 February 1875. He married again, to Cordelia Caroline Oates Gribbin on 18 November 1886
  • Charles Alexander Fairweather married Ellen Jewell on 24 March 1882
  • Andrew Abercrombie Fairweather married Cecilia Russell Leason on 22 February 1879. He married again, in 1896, to Alice Louisa Kelly
  • Mary Fairweather married William Milroy Crawford in 1882
  • James Isaac Fairweather married Lavinia Rosetta Sellar in 1890
  • Ellen Angel Fairweather married William Milroy McGill in 1889
  • Francis Fairweather married Mary Jones in 1892