History of wireless telegraphy and broadcasting in Australia/Topical/Biographies/Emil Robert Voigt

John Graeme Balsillie (11 September 1885 – 10 July 1924) was an inventor, communications engineer, wireless telegraphy pioneer, business proprietor and senior public servant. He is perhaps best known for oversighting the establishment of Australia's first coastal radio network which utilised a wireless telegraphy system patented by himself and generally known as the Australian system. Born in Brisbane, Queensland, he migrated with his family to London. His studies focused from an early age upon wireless telegraphy and soon found employment in that rapidly developing industry. After a decade of wireless experience, he was recruited by the then Prime Minister Fisher as the "Commonwealth Wireless Telegraphy Expert." He was the right person at the right time for Australia, finally poised for action in wireless after a decade of procrastination. The coastal radio network was completed in time to play a significant part in Australia's defence of its borders in World War I.

Early life and family

John Graeme Balsillie (generally known as Graeme) was born on 11 September 1885 at Brisbane, Queensland. His parents migrated from Scotland circa 1880. His father was James Pearson Balsillie (a wholesale warehouseman) and his mother was Eliza Balsillie née Johnston. His father passed in 1889 while Graeme was still an infant of only 4 years of age. The extended family were initially of some means and the young Balsillie was raised by his uncle. Graeme attended the Brisbane Normal School and was by his own account a rebellious youth. However his underlying brilliance was recognised and he continued his studies at the Brisbane Grammar School. By 1901 the family finances were largely exhausted and he commenced work as a clerk in a warehouse, but continuing his studies in the evening. At this time he met Edward Gustavus Campbell Barton who was lecturing in all matters electrical at the local colleges and no doubt developed his interests in both wireless telegraphy and rainmaking.

Tertiary education

The family immigrated to London, England in 1903 and Graeme commenced formal studies in electrical engineering while working at the Armstrong-Whitworth workshops. Throughout this period he was tutored by a cousin who was

Retirement

In September 1915 the wireless function was transferred to the Navy Department, together with the entire staff of the Wireless Section of the PMG's Department. This did not sit well with Balsillie and he took his retirement effective end of calendar year 1915, receiving a 2 months' salary gratuity.

Marconi v Commonwealth

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Personal life

Balsillie was an exceedingly open man with reporters enquiring as to his various experiments and inventions and the newspapers of the day are filled with detailed descriptions. But little is known of his personal life. Balsillie married Carmen Poleyh in 1909. He had a love of horse racing and is reported with other notables attending the Melbourne Cup at Flemington in November 1915. Like his father, he died at the young age of 39 years. He died of nephritis in Cincinnati on 10 July 1924 while in the midst of his work in developing his motor vehicle headlight patent. He was survived by a daughter. Balsillie was cremated at Cincinnati and the ashes interred with his father at Toowong Cemetery.

Late life and legacy

Balsillie is undoubtedly the father of wireless telegraphy and broadcasting in Australia, yet his substantial contribution is largely overlooked or forgotten. After a decade of procrastination and indecision by the Commonwealth in relation to wireless, he provided his Australian Wireless System free of royalty in Australia and utilised it in the timely and cost-effective establishment of a wide network of coastal radio station around Australia over only two years during the period 1911 to 1913. That network provided great protection for the new nation during World War I enabling co-ordination of its naval fleet while operating in Australian and nearby waters. But as is the case for many inventive geniuses, he is remembered more for his failings and controversies than his successes. His earlier invention of the Balsillie system of wireless was deemed an infringement of one of Marconi's patents. He successfully defended his patents for the Australian system of wireless against further action by Marconi, only to have the invention claimed by another Australian wireless pioneer (which claim was never tested in the courts). His experiments in rainmaking by wireless we see with a century of hindsight as foolish and invoked derision for himself and embarrassment for his supporters, permanently tainting his legacy. But barely a decade prior, wireless itself was viewed as almost magic. His early passing precluded further development of inventions. Finally the take over of the coastal radio network by Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) led to a suppression of Balsillie's pioneering role.

Publications

• Jenvey, H. W. Practical telegraphy : a guide for the use of officers of the Victorian Post and Telegraph Department. vol. 1 (2nd edition Melbourne, 1891) Trove

Further reading

• Balsillie, John Graeme. Papers of Graeme Balsillie (manuscript) NLA (mainly notes on his rainmaking experiments)
• Carty, Bruce. Australian Radio History (4th ed. Sydney, 2013) [2]
• Cleland, Lindsay. Balsillie, John Graeme (1885–1924), Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University (online) [3]
• Curnow, Geoffrey Ross. "The history of the development of wireless telegraphy and broadcasting in Australia to 1942, with especial reference to the Australian Broadcasting Commission: a political and administrative study". online
• Durrant, Lawrence. The seawatchers : the story of Australia's Coast Radio Service (angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1986) Trove NLA
• Given, Donald Jock. "Transit of Empires: Ernest Fisk and the World Wide Wireless". (Melbourne, 2007) [4]
• Griffen-Foley, Bridget. Changing Stations the story of Australian commercial radio [5]
• Hadlow, Martin Lindsay. "Wireless and Empire ambition: wireless telegraphy/telephony and radio broadcasting in the British Solomon Islands Protectorate, South-West Pacific (1914-1947): political, social and developmental perspectives". (Martin Hadlow, Brisbane, 2016) [6] [7]
• Harte, Bernard. When Radio Was The Cat's Whiskers (Rosenberg Publishing, 2002) [8]
• Hewitson, Peter. Australian MCS; A brief history of the Australian Coastal Radio Service (Website) [9]
• Johnstone, James. Coastal Radio Stations (Webpages) [10]
• Jolly, Rhonda. Media ownership and regulation: a chronology (Canberra, 2016) [11]
• National Archives of Australia. Numerous files referencing Balsillie. [12]
• National Library of Australia. Trove Digitised Newspapers (Online) [13] (300+ selected articles tagged John Graeme Balsillie, mostly text corrected)
• National Library of Australia. Trove Digitised Newspapers (Online) [14] (100+ selected articles tagged Rainmaking, mostly text corrected)
• Ross, John F. A History of Radio in South Australia 1897–1977 (J. F. Ross, 1978) [15]
• Ross, John F. Radio Broadcasting Technology, 75 Years of Development in Australia 1923–1998 (J. F. Ross, 1998) [16]
• Sweeney, Walter M. A complete course of wireless for professional or amateur students (E. W. Coles Book Arcade, Melbourne, 1920) [17] contains a comprehensive description of the Australian wireless system deployed in the Coastal Radio network