Cairns Divisional Boards 1879-1902

Simon Louis Loeven - Chairman 1880-1881

Simon Louis Loeven was an early settler who arrived on the first steamer to Cairns. He was one of the first storekeepers of Cairns opening the first drapery store in 1876 and also dealing in second hand goods. He was also a member of the first Health Board of Cairns.

Loeven was the first Chairman of the Cairns Divisional Board at their inaugural meeting on 20 July 1880. Loeven Street in Parramatta Park was named in his honour.

W. P. Redden - Chairman 1882

W. P. Redden was a carpenter and an early landholder in the Machans Beach area. Redden Creek and Redden Island in Machans Beach were named after him.

Archibald Meston - Chairman 1883-84

Archibald Meston was born in Scotland in March 1851 and became one of the best known figures in Queensland at the time. He rose to prominence in political and educational movements in Ipswich, where he served as Member of the Legislative Assembly for Rosewood. He then worked as editor of the Ipswich 'Observer', the Toowoomba 'Chronicle' and the Townsville 'Herald'.

On moving to Cairns, he became one of the region's pioneer sugar growers.  He was noted for his botanical writings and in 1889 he led a government expedition to explore the Bellenden Ker ranges.  He was also an acknowledged authority on Indigenous affairs and spoke several dialects. He worked as Protector of Aboriginals for some years.

While in office in Cairns, Meston was actively involved in securing the railway line for Cairns.  He died in Brisbane in March 1924. Meston Street in Brinsmead is named after him.

Richard Ash Kingsford - Mayor 1885-1886, 1889

Richard Ash Kingsford was born in Canterbury, England in October 1821. He arrived at Sydney in 1852 and went to Brisbane in 1854.

In May 1875, he was elected for the South Brisbane seat in the Legislative Assembly. He served as an alderman on the South Brisbane Municipal Council in 1875-76 and was elected mayor of Brisbane in 1876. He moved to Cairns after losing his seat in the 1883 election.

In 1884, he was elected Chairman of the Cairns Divisional Board - which later became the Cairns Municipal Council, then Cairns City Council. When Cairns was proclaimed a municipality in 1885, Kingsford was unanimously elected mayor by his fellow aldermen. He was re-elected for a further term. In 1888, he stood for the new Cairns seat in the Legislative Assembly, but was defeated.

He died in Cairns on 2 January 1902 and is buried in the McLeod Street Pioneer Cemetery.

Kingsford Street in Mooroobool is named in his honour.

Jean Baptiste Loridan - Chairman 1885

Jean Baptiste Loridan was born in France in 1826 and emigrated to Australia in 1852.

He arrived in the Cairns district from Bendigo in 1882 and took up the 2025 hectare Pyramid Plantation with his brother Jean Gustave in 1883. Together they built the Pyramid Sugar Mill in the upper reaches of the Mulgrave River in 1885.

Loridan was appointed Chairman of the Cairns Divisional Board in mid-1885 but suddenly resigned from office and left Cairns in November that same year. He died at Stawell, Victoria, in 1897.

Loridan Creek and Loridan Waterfall in Gordonvale, located close to their estate, were named after the pair along with Loridan Drive in Brinsmead.

H.T.S. Douglas - Chairman 1885-86

Douglas was appointed Chairman following the extra-ordinary vacancy created by the departure of Loridan in November 1885. He was re-elected to the position in 1886.

James Kenny - Chairman 1887-88, 1891-92

James Kenny was born in Ireland and arrived in Australia in 1864. He was an early settler of Cairns, and owned a sawmill on the inlet which produced a mixture of mangrove mud and sawdust. His materials were used for the first footpaths of Cairns.

Kenny was well-known and respected throughout the Cairns district. He died in Cairns in December 1927, aged 61 years.

Kenny Street in Portsmith is named after this former Chairman.

Thomas Mackay - Chairman 1889

Mackay was elected Chairman of the Cairns Divisional Board in February 1889. He continued to serve as a Board member until at least 1895.

Richard A. Tills - Chairman 1890, 1893

Richard A. Tills was born in Hull, England in 1860 and arrived in Cairns in 1883. He worked as a contract builder and operated a joinery works and Cairns Sawmill Company.  He was appointed Inspector of Public Works and was associated with the Federal Government's soldier settlement and homes in the district.

Tills served as Chairman of the Cairns Divisional Board in 1890, Mayor of Cairns Municipal Council from 1900-01 and in 1907. He was also a member of the Barron Divisional Board, President of the Cairns Chamber of Commerce and a licensing justice. He helped establish the Gregory Masonic Lodge in Cairns and was a member for over 50 years.

Tills Street in Westcourt is named after this former Mayor who died in Cairns in June 1937.

William H. Swallow - Chairman 1893-98

William H. Swallow came to Cairns from Melbourne and started the Hambledon Mill and Plantation with his brother Thomas. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Mulgrave Central Mill.

He was elected Chairman of the Cairns Divisional Board in March 1893, and resigned in mid-1898. He later nominated and was elected to the Cairns Shire Council, resigning in 1909.

Swallow married Caroline Kingsford, the daughter of Richard Ash Kingsford.

William John Munro - Chairman 1898-11

William John Munro was a grazier, butcher and a pioneer of the sugar industry. He was Alderman in 1894.

Munro died on 7 April 1912. His public funeral procession was reported to be the largest ever seen in Cairns.

Munro Terrace in Mooroobool is named after this former Chairma