Obituaries Australia

Among those who have settled upon Australian soil, the memory of Mr. George Ranken, whose death took place at Young, N.S.W., on the 6th ult., at the age of sixty-eight, deserves to be kept green; for he was not only a pioneer settler, but he devoted very much time for years to a study of colonial Land laws, and his knowledge and experience were from time to time given to the public in a purely patriotic spirit. The late Mr. Ranken was born in Ayr, Scotland, and, after gaining some years' commercial experience in a merchant's office at Leith, he came to Australia in 1851, being then twenty-four years old. He soon found employment in the Bank of New South Wales, and a short time afterwards was located as one of that institution's gold-buyers in the Ovens district of Victoria. Subsequently he took part with the late Mr. William Landsborough in an exploring expedition to the northern part of this continent, and that resulted in his occupying and stocking some new country in Queensland. In 1858 he returned to Scotland, and in the following year married Miss Shaw, daughter of General Shaw, of the Indian army. Returning to Queensland with his wife in 1859, he obtained the appointment of Crown lands ranger, his residence being at Rockhampton. Some years afterwards he came to Sydney, and in 1887 was the moving spirit in the Commercial, Pastoral and Agricultural Association, with which the late Mr, James Wilson was intimately connected as president. He served on two Royal Commissions upon the adminis