John Dunn (miller)
| John Dunn Sr. | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Dunn 13 February 1802 Bondleigh, Devon, England |
| Died | 13 October 1894 (aged 92) Mount Barker, South Australia |
| Spouse(s) | Ann Rowe (1802 – 1870) and Jane Cork Williams (c. 1833 – 1929) |
| Relations | William Paltridge (son-in-law) |
| Children | John Dunn Jr. (1830–1892), Mary Ann Hill (1832–1912), Elizabeth Paltridge (1834–1928), Eliza Dunn (1837–1856), William Henry Dunn (1841–1891) |
| Parents | Charles Dunn and Thomasin Dunn (née Hooper) |
| Religion | Wesleyan Methodist Church |
John Dunn Sr. (13 February 1802 – 13 October 1894) was a flour miller in the early days of the colony of South Australia; a parliamentarian, philanthropist and a prominent citizen of Mount Barker, South Australia.
He was born in the parish of Bondleigh, Devon, the son of a small farmer. At the age of 10 he was working as a servant, then for seven years was apprenticed to a miller at North Tawton. He was then appointed manager of a steam mill in Bideford, Devon and in 1836 owned his own mill at Monkleigh, some 6 km to the south. On the suggestion of his brothers, who had emigrated earlier, he, his wife and four children, left for Australia on the Lysander, arriving at Port Adelaide on 6 September 1840.
He found employment with Borrow & Goodiar, then purchased land near his brother's property at Hay Valley (near Nairne), which he farmed and in 1842 built a windmill for grinding flour, possibly the first in Australia. The variability of wind in the area limited its usefulness, particularly as he had built the windmill with a fixed mechanism, and the angle of the sails could not be changed to match wind direction, and he ordered a small steam engine from England. While waiting for its arrival he worked for Ridley, helping to construct his famous reaper, proving its performance on D. McFarlane's land at Mount Barker.
For a time he managed the South Australian Company's first steam mill in Adelaide, which had been set up by William Randell.
His first steam mill, in Mount Barker, began working in 1844, the second steam mill in Australia at a time when South Australia was the only wheat producing colony in Australia.
Soon Ridley's, Hart's, Magarey's, and other brands of flour were exported to the other colonies, then overseas. Dunn's milling and grain business grew until the firm had eleven steam flour mills, five fitted with more modern roller machinery. Dunn's first steam mill was decommissioned as a flour mill by 1899, converted to become ancillary to leather production.
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Wikipedia