Johann Heinrich Casper Meyer (also known as John Henry Casper Meyer) (??-1901) was a German immigrant to Queensland and a pioneer of the Gold Coast region.
Johan Meyer acquired James Beattie's land at Narrowneck, on the Gold Coast in 1877, initially developing a sugar plantation and sugar mill. Seeing the opportunity for business success in catering to the accommodation needs of the regular visitors to the beaches of the Gold Coast, he then started the private ferry service, referred to as the Meyer's Ferry, and the Main Beach Hotel (located at Main Beach, Queensland). In 1888, Meyer's family operated a coach service from Southport three times a week, that crossed the river at the ferry, taking passengers down to the main surf beach.
His Main Beach Hotel became a postal receiving office in 1889 which was officially called Elston (later renamed Surfers Paradise). In 1893, the hotel burned down and was only partially covered by insurance. During the 1890s, Johan Meyer's business went into decline and he faced financial ruin.
Johann Meyer died at the Southport Railway Station on Friday 18 October 1901. After his death, services lapsed and the area began to decline until the arrival of James Cavill in 1925.
Famous quotes containing the word meyer:
“... married women work and neglect their children because the duties of the homemaker become so depreciated that women feel compelled to take a job in order to hold the respect of the community. It is one thing if women work, as many of them must, to help support the family. It is quite another thing—it is destructive of woman’s freedom—if society forces her out of the home and into the labor market in order that she may respect herself and gain the respect of others.”
—Agnes E. Meyer (1887–1970)