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Son of John Edward Gibson,
was born at Falkirk, Scotland, on 4 November 1864. He was educated at the
Falkirk public school and joined the Camelon Iron Company, of which his
father was managing director, at the age of 15. He was later apprenticed
to R. Gardner and Company, Glasgow, and studied art and design at the
Haldane academy. In 1887 he rejoined the Camelon Iron Company, and was
appointed manager of its London office. He married in 1891 Winifred Moore
of Glasgow and sailed to Australia. He was a designer and draughtsman for
about six years at Melbourne, and in 1897 established the Australian
Manufacturing Company Pty Ltd. Some 10 years later he founded the Lux
Foundry Pty Ltd, and held a controlling interest in these companies for
the rest of his life. He became very well known in the industrial and
commercial life of Melbourne, and during the 1914-18 war did valuable work
as a member of the coal board in connexion with the rationing of coal, gas
and electric power. He was also appointed one of the seven honorary
commissioners to administer the repatriation act, and was deputy chairman
until the appointment of the permanent commission in 1920. He was chairman
of the royal commission on federal economics, and was a member of the
Victorian State electricity commission from its inception. He had great
confidence in the future value of the works at Yallourn. In 1924 he was
appointed a member of the Commonwealth bank board, was elected chairman in
1926, and was re-elected to that position each year. He was also a
director of the Union Trustee Company Ltd., the National Mutual Life
Association, the Chamber of Manufactures Insurance Company Ltd., and
Robert Harper and Company Ltd. and was a representative or the
Commonwealth government in connexion with the Commonwealth Oil Refineries
Ltd. From 1922 to 1925 he was president of the Victorian Chamber of
Manufactures, and also for a time president of the Associated Chambers of
Manufactures of Australia. These many interests gave him a remarkable
grasp of the financial position of Australia, and before the depression
arrived in 1930 he had warned the federal government that difficult times
were coming. When the Scullin government was endeavouring to grapple with
the position, which was aggravated in Australia by the low prices being
paid for wool and wheat, various currency devices were brought forward,
and Gibson's firm attitude towards E. G. Theodore, the treasurer of the
day, eventually made possible the adoption of the premiers' plan. There
was some intriguing to displace Gibson from the Commonwealth bank board
but these efforts were defeated. On 6 May 1931 he was called before the
bar of the senate to give his views on the Commonwealth bank bill. He
replied to the many questions asked fully and patiently and with such
effect that it was said that the bill was dead before he left the chamber.
An experienced reporter described it as the finest performance he had ever
seen in parliament. Gibson, while disclaiming any intention that the
Commonwealth bank should dictate to the government, was determined that no
efforts should be spared to prevent inflation. In this he was successful
but he felt the strain and responsibility of these years very much. He had
a serious illness in 1933 and died on 1 January 1934. Lady Gibson survived
him with two sons and five daughters. He was created C.B.E. in 1918,
K.B.E. in 1920 and G.B.E. in 1932.
Gibson was quite unassuming
and kindly, with a love for literature and art; he painted in
water-colours as a hobby and was a good photographer. Though tactful his
sincerity and candour were apparent to all, and his absolute sense of
justice led to his being much employed as an arbitrator in industrial
disputes. The secretary of one union described him as the whitest man he
had met in or out of the Labour movement. |
