Charles Todd:
- was born on 7 July 1826 as son of a grocer and tea merchant in Greenwich;
- showed mathematical ability and was appointed as a supernumerary computer at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich;
- was appointed as a junior assistant to Professor Challis at Cambridge;
- was appointed as Superintendent of Telegraphs for South Australia and arrived with his wife Alice (nee Bell and after whom Alice Springs was named) aboard the Irene on 4 November 1855;
- was appointed to the dual position of Postmaster-General and Superintendent of Telegraphs in 1870 following the decision to amalgamate the two Departments;
- was the architect and main activist advocating the construction of the Overland Telegraph line from Adelaide to Darwin;
- was the visionary who planned and help implement many of the Australian telegraph projects including the Adelaide-Melbourne line (with Samuel McGowan), the cable to Tasmania, the telegraph line to Western Australia, etc, etc.
- A report on the Banquet to farewell Todd before his return trip to Emngland in 1881 is included elsewhere.
- retired in 1905 from the Post and Telegraphs Department and in 1906 from the Observatory.
- died of gangrene at his country home of Semaphore S.A. on 29 January 1910.
The Advertiser on 26 November 1906 printed a wonderful review of Todd's life with many statements expressing his own view of his memorable and proudest moments ("the day of his marriage").
See also a letter of Transfer to Mr. Madden at Salisbury Railway. |