Walter James Anderson
| Born: | c1841 Shetland, Scotland |
|---|---|
| Died: | 3rd November 1923 Mount Gambier, South Australia |
| Spouse: | 1 |
Career Timeline
Spouse
Eliza Holt
| Born: | December 1844 Portland, New South Wales |
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| Married: | 8th November 1865 Mount Gambier, South Australia |
| Died: | 18th February 1928 Mount Gambier, South Australia |
| Walter James Anderson was a prominent South-East South Australian hotelier, brewer, and community figure. Born in Lerwick in the Shetland Islands, he first went to sea as a young man and, at 17, joined a whaling expedition to the Arctic, where his ship was wrecked in the ice. He came to Australia in 1860, landing in Melbourne before moving to Port MacDonnell, where he assisted his brother in salvaging the wreck of the Admella and later helped in building lighters used to unload cargo from offshore steamers. In 1879 Anderson leased the Victoria Hotel at Port MacDonnell, which he ran until 1882 before relocating to Mount Gambier. There he took the lease of the Standard Brewery and also the Globe Hotel, pursuing both brewing and hotelkeeping until his retirement after selling the brewery in 1911. Beyond business, he was active in local sporting organisations, an enthusiastic and successful rifleman, and a foundation member of both the Mount Gambier Caledonian Society and the Mount Gambier Racing Club. He married Eliza Holt in 1864. Anderson died in the South-East at the age of 83, remembered as a respected pioneer and energetic contributor to community life. |