Page:History of Adelaide and vicinity.djvu/419

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Mr. T. Barnfield ADELAIDE AND VICINITY 393 course of a few years he became a member of several boards controlling important industrial enterprises. He has been Chairman of the Adelaide Ice Company for 20 years, and is also Chairman of the Thebarton Distillery ; while he has always been a moving spirit in mining development, both as a promoter and an investor. In the sporting circles of South Australia there is no man better known than Mr. Barnfield, his figure being familiar on the principal racecourses of the Province. His services have been utilised in the Adelaide Racing Club as a member of the committee and a steward for .several years. He was formerly the owner of several fine racehorses, which acquitted themselves gallantly. In i<SS2, when Assyrian won the Melbourne Cup, Mr. Barnfield benefited largely. Eor the race of 1883 he speculated to an enormous extent on the chances of Eirst Water : and, had this horse won, he would have profited to the amount of ,/!'i07,ooo — one of the greatest pools in Australian racing annals. Unfortunately for him, Eirst Water ran second to the Hon. J. White's Martini-Henry. Mr. Barnfield became a member of the Adelaide City Council in December, 1898, being returned by a substantial majority as a representative of MacDonnell Ward, but he was defeated when seeking re-election in December, 1900. His term of civic office was marked by the advocacy of a sound policy in regard to the municipal affairs of the capital. He is still a leading figure in financial circles. Mr. Theodore Bruce MR. THEODORF^ BRUCE, one of the best known business men in Adelaide, was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, in 1847, and came out to Australia with his parents in 1852. His father was a large woollen manufacturer in that pro.sperous and busy city, while his grandfather, Mr. Edward Baines, was the founder of the well-known and influential daily journal, the Leeds Mercury. On Mr. Bruce's arrival as a boy in South Australia he was sent to Mr. j. L. )ung's school, and afterwards to St. Peter's College. On leaving school, he engaged for a time in station lif(;, but left it for the sake of gaining commercial experience. He entered the National Bank in Adelaide, where he devoted himself with all zeal and diligence to the acquisition of financial knowledge and experience. In 1878, in com]>any with Mr. George Aldridge, Chairman of the Stock Exchange, Mr. Bruce started an auctioneering business. In 1870, the partnershij) was dis.solved, and Mr. Bruce, in conjunction with other commercial enterprises, started a brewing establishment at Broken Hill. As a member of the Stock Exchange of Adelaide, and as an auctioneer in the .South Au.stralian capital, Mr. Bruce has long pursued a successful career. Attention to private business has not, however, prevented him from taking an active part in public matters. He was elected Mayor of Unley in 1897, and occupied the unique position of being at the same time a councillor in the Adelaide Corporation. In December, 1900, he was elected as Alderman for the City Corporation. Mr. Bruce is a Progressionist, and never fails to urge the adoption of advanced principles wherever desirable and practicable. Besides being respected as a business man, Mr. Bruce is highly esteemed by all classes in and about Adelaide for his geniality and kindheartedness. AA