H. W. Gepp

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Sir Herbert William Gepp (pron. "Jepp") (28 September 1877 – 14 April 1954) was an Australian industrial chemist, businessman and public servant.

History[edit]

Gepp was born in Adelaide, a son of William John Gepp (1843 – 27 March 1915)[1] and his wife Marian Gepp, née Rogers (c. 1848 – 11 May 1915).

William was the eldest surviving son of veterinarian Thomas Gepp, sen. (1809–1894), who arrived in South Australia aboard the brig Rapid in August 1836.[2] William's brother Thomas Gepp, jun. (July 1852 – 27 August 1916) was a solicitor who in December 1888 was elected Mayor of Norwood and Kensington.

He was educated at public schools, and won a scholarship to attend Prince Alfred College, but despite a fine academic record and sharing the Longbottom Scholarship in 1893,[3] was unable to proceed to Adelaide University due to straitened family circumstances.[4] He joined the Australian Explosives and Chemical Co., Deer Park, Victoria, as a cadet in 1893, and in 1896[5] studied chemistry part-time under Professor Masson at Melbourne University.[4] In 1897 the company was taken over by Alfred Nobel's Explosives and Chemical Co.[6] and in 1898, still classified as a junior chemist, Gepp was sent to the new parent company's headquarters in Glasgow for two years, and a few years after his return was promoted to manager of the Melbourne factory.[7]

In 1905 he accepted the position of first manager of the Broken Hill sulphuric acid manufacturing plant which was about to be commissioned for the Zinc Corporation,[8] largely owned by Clark & Robinson and the big London firm of Bewick, Moreing, and Company,[9] then resigned 1907 due to ill-health.[10]

In March 1907 he took over management of the De Bavay Treatment Co., Ltd's zinc concentration plant,[11] and worked on development of the froth flotation process. In 1909 the company became Amalgamated Zinc (De Bavay's) Limited with offices in Melbourne and London.

By 1911 zinc had progressed from the "sulphide problem" to a barely profitable sideline to a major source of income for Broken Hill. There were now five companies producing vast quantities of zinc concentrate by flotation: the Zinc Corporation; Amalgamated Zinc (De Bavay's); the Central mine, the Proprietary, and the British. This was mostly being exported rather than being smelted in Australia due to lack of facilities.[12]

At the outbreak of war in 1914 Gepp led a volunteer rifle company at Broken Hill, and enlisted with the First AIF. He underwent training with the 12th company Field Engineers at Fort Largs.[13] He was however commandeered by Billy Hughes and William Baillieu[4] to encourage the US use of Australian zinc concentrates, and by Andrew Fisher to investigate munitions manufacture.[14]

While in America, Gepp recruited Charles M. Warner of the Dwight-Lloyd Company, suppliers of roasting equipment; Guy C. Riddell of A. S. & R., East Helena, Montana; and Gilbert Rigg of New Jersey Zinc to assist with new zinc works going up at Broken Hill, Port Pirie and Hobart.[15] Under Gepp's direction, Amalgamated Zinc (De Bavay's) founded a subsidiary, Electrolytic Zinc to produce zinc metal in Risdon, Tasmania from Broken Hill and Port Pirie concentrate using the plentiful and cheap hydroelectric power then available.[16] In 1917 he was appointed general manager of the new company, and with support from Baillieu steered the factory through its difficult trial phases. He led the design and construction of a pilot plant, scaled it up to ten tons of 99.95% purity zinc metal per week then a 100-ton plant in 1918.[17] Chief research chemist at the Risdon works was Roland D. Williams, who was with Gepp in Broken Hill.[18][19]

In 1926 Gepp entered a new phase, as a public servant.

  • He was appointed by Prime Minister Bruce chair of the Development and Migration Commission,[20] The commission was disbanded by the Scullin government in 1930 as a money-saving measure: Gepp was kept on with a retainer of £1250 a year, down from £5000.[21]
  • In 1929 he was appointed to a Royal Commission reporting into the coal industry[22]
  • He was appointed chairman of the Royal Commission on the wheat, flour, and bread industries in 1934[23]
  • In 1934 he was appointed director of the North Australian Aerial Geological and Geophysical Survey.[24]
  • In 1942 he was put in charge of the Central Cargo Committee set up under National Security regulations to expedite wartime unloading of ships and road transport of goods. He was not only given leave of absence by his employer (APM) but they paid his salary.[25]

In 1931 he became technical consultant to Australian Paper Manufacturers Ltd, and in 1936 was appointed its general manager. He was responsible for development of the Maryvale pulp mill, near Morwell, Victoria, which entered production in 1939; he initiated a housing scheme for its workers. His son Orwell started working for the company during WWII as head of recycling, and stayed on as sales manager.[26]

He retired in 1950, and died suddenly at his farm, aged 76. His remains were buried in the local cemetery.[4]

Other interests[edit]

  • Gepp was a popular speaker on scientific and societal subjects: miners' health[27]
  • In 1913 he founded the Broken Hill Progress Association, whose aim was to improve the town's amenities.[4]
  • From 1924[28] he owned a share farm, "Garden Hill Estate" at Kangaroo Ground, Victoria, where he ran a large herd of dairy cattle, reduced in 1938[29] and until 1943[30] he ran a dairy of some 40 cows, then an Aberdeen-Angus cattle stud.[31]

Recognition and appointments[edit]

Family[edit]

Gepp married Jessie Powell Hilliard at Hawthorn, Victoria on 5 July 1905. Their family included:

  • Orwell Hilliard Gepp (July 1906 – ) married Marjory Jean Broad ( – ) on 1 October 1930. He was an agronomist and for a time breeder of Blonde d'Aquitaine cattle.[33]
  • Kathleen Jessie Gepp (5 January 1908 – ) social editor with The Age, appointed director of Junior Red Cross, Geneva in 1949
  • Dr. Dorothy Marian Gepp (perhaps 1909 – 2004) married Dr. Alexander John Maum Sinclair (6 November 1908 – 7 October 1989) on 15 March 1937. He served with the Royal Flying Doctor Service, became a noted psychiatrist.[34]
  • Constance Crawford Gepp (1911 – ) married Curtis Wilson, formerly A.D.C. to General Lavarack, on 22 August 1944. She was a financial journalist, then London-based social reporter for Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate
  • Margaret Helen "Mardi" Gepp (1920 – 2005) married Squadron-Leader Richard Gething, A.F.C., Royal Air Force in Canada on 11 May 1940. She was a pilot with ATA, ferrying planes during WWII.[35]

They had a home "Strathalan" in Macleod, Victoria, later on Hampden road, Armadale, Victoria

Bibliography[edit]

  • Gepp, H. W., as told to Alan Moyle, I look at life through a question mark : a retrospect and a challenge, The Sun News-Pictorial, Melbourne 1936
  • Gepp, H. W. Democracy's danger : addresses on various occasions, Angus & Robertson, Sydney 1939
  • Gepp, H. W. When Peace Comes, Robertson & Mullens, Melbourne 1943
  • Gepp, H. W. The changing factors in industrial human relations, Institute of Industrial Management, Sydney 1946

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Death of Mr. W. J. Gepp". The Mail (Adelaide). Vol. 3, no. 150. South Australia. 27 March 1915. p. 3. Retrieved 8 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ "Death of Mr T. Gepp, sen". The Express and Telegraph. Vol. XXXI, no. 9, 306. South Australia. 19 November 1894. p. 2. Retrieved 8 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ Prince Alfred College. South Australia. 22 December 1893. p. 7. Retrieved 9 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia. {{cite book}}: |newspaper= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ a b c d e f B. E. Kennedy (1981). "Australian Dictionary of Biography: Gepp, Sir Herbert William (Bert) (1877–1954)". National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  5. ^ "Melbourne University". The Australasian. Vol. LXI, no. 1597. Victoria, Australia. 7 November 1896. p. 33. Retrieved 10 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "Colonial Explosives". Bendigo Advertiser. Vol. XLV, no. 13, 019. Victoria, Australia. 10 February 1897. p. 3. Retrieved 10 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ "Sir Herbert Gepp Dies". The Advertiser (Adelaide). Vol. 96, no. 29, 798. South Australia. 15 April 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 23 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ "Barrier Bits". The Critic (Adelaide). Vol. IX, no. 45. South Australia. 29 November 1905. p. 26. Retrieved 10 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ "People". The Barrier Miner. Vol. XVIII, no. 5429. New South Wales, Australia. 25 November 1905. p. 4. Retrieved 10 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "Zinc Corporation". The Observer (Adelaide). Vol. LXIV, no. 3, 414. South Australia. 9 March 1907. p. 18. Retrieved 10 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ "Broken Hill Mines". The Chronicle (Adelaide). Vol. 49, no. 2, 534. South Australia. 16 March 1907. p. 44. Retrieved 10 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ "The Future for Zinc". The Barrier Miner. Vol. XXIII, no. 7029. New South Wales, Australia. 9 February 1911. p. 3. Retrieved 11 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia. This article includes a chart of zinc concentrate exports 1905–1910
  13. ^ "In Broken Hill. Volunteer Engineers' Section". The Barrier Miner. Vol. XXVII, no. 8170. New South Wales, Australia. 22 October 1914. p. 2. Retrieved 11 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ^ a b "The Man of the Week". Smith's Weekly. Vol. VIII, no. 10. New South Wales, Australia. 24 April 1926. p. 2. Retrieved 11 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ^ "Mining News". The Advertiser (Adelaide). Vol. LIX, no. 18, 163. South Australia. 30 December 1916. p. 12. Retrieved 11 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ^ "Mining". The Leader (Melbourne). No. 3158. Victoria, Australia. 15 July 1916. p. 22. Retrieved 12 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ "Electrolytic Zinc". The Mercury (Hobart). Vol. CVIII, no. 15, 049. Tasmania, Australia. 14 January 1918. p. 6. Retrieved 13 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ^ "Research Chief Ends Long Association". The Mercury (Hobart). Vol. CLXIX, no. 24, 506. Tasmania, Australia. 28 June 1949. p. 5. Retrieved 14 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. ^ "Former Piriean Retires In Tasmania". The Recorder (Port Pirie). No. 13, 410. South Australia. 4 July 1949. p. 2. Retrieved 14 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  20. ^ "This Week's Business". The West Australian. Vol. XLII, no. 7, 505. Western Australia. 21 June 1926. p. 6. Retrieved 13 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  21. ^ "End of Migration Commission". The Herald (Melbourne). No. 16, 492. Victoria, Australia. 26 March 1930. p. 7. Retrieved 13 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  22. ^ "The Coal Crisis". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. No. 16, 400. New South Wales, Australia. 9 May 1929. p. 5. Retrieved 14 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  23. ^ "Wheat Industry". The Examiner (Tasmania). Vol. XCII, no. 269. Tasmania, Australia. 24 January 1934. p. 7. Retrieved 14 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  24. ^ "Search for Wealth in North Australia". The Advertiser (Adelaide). South Australia. 24 May 1934. p. 18. Retrieved 14 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  25. ^ "Central Cargo Committee". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 29, 871. Victoria, Australia. 21 May 1942. p. 3. Retrieved 14 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  26. ^ "Mr Orwell Gepp". The Herald (Melbourne). No. 21, 720. Victoria, Australia. 31 December 1946. p. 13. Retrieved 10 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  27. ^ "Dangers of Mining". The Bendigo Independent. No. 10, 538. Victoria, Australia. 29 April 1904. p. 4. Retrieved 9 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  28. ^ "Country Notes". Weekly Times. No. 2853. Victoria, Australia. 19 April 1924. p. 29. Retrieved 15 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  29. ^ "Advertising". The Advertiser (Eltham). Victoria, Australia. 1 July 1938. p. 6. Retrieved 15 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  30. ^ "Advertising". The Age. No. 27664. Victoria, Australia. 18 December 1943. p. 10. Retrieved 15 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  31. ^ "Aberdeen-Angus News". Queensland Country Life. Vol. 11, no. 36. Queensland, Australia. 21 March 1946. p. 8. Retrieved 15 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  32. ^ "Mr Herbert William Gepp". It's an Honour. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  33. ^ "Cam-Brae". The Times (Victor Harbor). Vol. 74, no. 3, 488. South Australia. 6 February 1987. p. 16. Retrieved 9 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  34. ^ "Lives of the Fellows: Munk's Roll : Volume IX : Alexander John Maum Sinclair". Royal College of Physicians. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  35. ^ "Australian Girl Flew Spitfires". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 33, 385. New South Wales, Australia. 23 December 1944. p. 5. Retrieved 9 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
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