Garget, John

John Garget was one of several builders elected Mayor of Toowoomba during the latter half of the 19th century. Mayor from 1876 to 1878 and in 1885. John Garget was almost continuously on Council between 1874 and 1890.

He was awarded contracts to build many of Toowoomba’s early buildings.

Among them are the Toowoomba Grammar School, considered to be one of the city’s finest examples of domestic Gothic architecture. The school was officially opened in 1875.

John Garget also built the Post Office and Court House in Margaret Street during 1878-79.

Toowoomba historian Mr Ron Douglas said Garget built and lived in a large two-storey sandstone house named “Abingdon”, located on the southern side of Herries Street between Neil and Hume Streets.

The house is still standing and is considered by Mr Douglas to be one of Toowoomba’s oldest buildings.

John Garget was born on March 12, 1842, at Stapleton, England, the second son of Robert and Eleanor Garget. He was apprenticed as a carpenter and served his term in Darlington and London.

In 1864, Garget was given a post as foreman of a gang between 70 and 80 carpenters for construction of railway buildings at Bilbao in Spain.

Arriving in Queensland in1865, he was foreman for the construction of the railway buildings at Ipswich. He came to Toowoomba towards the end of 1866.

He also built Dalby and Jondaryan Railway stations, Ipswich Railway workshops and all the station buildings on the railway line between Toowoomba and Warwick.

Garget was one of the originators of the Toowoomba Gas Company and was chairman of directors of the company for many years.

He died on May 18, 1899, aged 57 years.