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statements whilst the country was at war. A public service inquiry found that the statements were improper but
that Jensen was not disloyal. Gilruth recommended the dismissal of Jensen but the federal government insisted
on resignation, which took place in September 1916. Years later Jensen’s main charge was re-examined, this time
by the Royal Commission of 1920 which found, amongst other things, that the Administrator and the judge did
indeed have an interest in the Daly River copper mine. Whilst Gilruth later disputed this, it is difficult to escape the
conclusion that Jensen was treated unjustly.
After leaving the Territory, Jensen was Government Geologist in Queensland, 1917–1922, during which
time he recommended consideration of purchase of Mungana Mines by government and revealed at a later royal
commission that he knew of private interests held in Mungana by politicians E G Theodore and W McCormack.
(Jensen is said to be Dr Jenner in Frank Hardy’s book Power Without Glory.) He worked as a consultant geologist,
1923–1938, then led the Queensland section of the Aerial Geological and Geophysical survey of north Australia
from 1938 to 1941 when it was disbanded.
J Malcolm Newman, wartime Controller of Strategic Minerals, asked Jensen to proceed to Central Australia
to do a geological survey of the mica-bearing regions of Harts Range and Plenty River, which he did in 1943 and
- Jensen bitterly observed that whilst prospecting on Cape York Peninsula at 62 years of age, he covered
80 miles (130 kilometres) on a horse, yet had been forced to cease work for the Commonwealth government in
1944 because he had attained the age of 65.
From 1945 to 1950 Jensen worked with Inigo Jones on supposed weather cycles. He then lived on a small
property at Caboolture. When burning off grass the wind changed and he was severely burned. Taken to Brisbane
hospital, he died there on 13 July 1966 arid was cremated. He had been divorced in 1937. Two sons and three
daughters survived him.
Jensen did notable pioneering work in the assessment of the mineral resources of the Territory and in the Setting
up of the first Department of Mines under the Commonwealth regime. He prepared the first Commonwealth Mining
Ordinance for the Territory and his earlier charges against Gilruth probably contributed to the eventual downfall of
the latter in 1919. Of the Commonwealth efforts at mining mica and wolfram during the Second World War he said
it was ‘a gigantic waste of fine mica and mighty poor production. Similarly wolfram mining was a farce.’
ADB, vol 9; Reminiscences of a Geologist—H I Jensen (Unpublished) in Australian Academy of Science, Canberra, Report of Royal
Commission (1916) into charges made by Dr Jensen against the Administrator and others (not printed, and held by Tables Office, Parliament
House, Canberra); CPP 1920, no 46; Report of Royal Commission on Northern Territory Administration; Administrator’s Reports for 1913,
1914, 1915; Bulletin of the Northern Territory nos 11 & 12.
T G JONES, Vol 1.
JIBANYAMA: see JAPANMA
JOHANNSEN, GERTHARDT ANDREAS (1876–1951), stonemason and builder, was born in Denmark.
Nothing is known of his childhood, but at age 25, he arrived in Australia in its first year of nationhood. He had left
Denmark because of war with Prussia. For some years he worked in the Barossa Valley in South Australia, where
he built St Thomas Lutheran Church in Stockwell, where he met his bride-to-be, Marie Ottilie Hoffmann. The two
were married in 1905, and embarked for the Territory with their first child, Elsa, four years later.
Johannsen’s first position was on the Hermannsburg Aboriginal Mission, constructing yards and buildings with
the mission Aborigines. Mrs Johannsen taught the Aboriginal women handicrafts and sewing during their two-year
stay at Hermannsburg. During this time, Johannsen travelled to the Arltunga goldfield, where he and Bill Liddle
participated in the construction of the first police station.
From 1911 to 1928 Johannsen took up the lease on Deep Well, which was a government-owned watering
station on the north-south stock route. For many years the family lived in a small log hut on the station, until the
large stone house in which they finally lived was completed. Deep Well was on the Overland Telegraph Line and
telegraphed messages told of the number of stock that would require water.
In 1918, Johannsen acted as a guide on the important geological expedition of Sir Baldwin Spencer and
Sir Keith Ward. He also acted as guide to explorer Valdemar Steffansson, when he visited the fringes of the desert
later known as the Simpson. Dr Steffansson was carrying out comparative research of the dry desert in Central
Australia with the frozen arctic.
During his years on Deep Well, Johannsen also tended other watering points on the stock route, overseeing
their management and maintaining them. At times, he employed people to water the stock while he took bush
contracts.
In 1923, the Lutheran Mission Board was unable to replace the late Dr Carl Strehlow and the Johannsens
were subsequently asked to take over the management of Hermannsburg. In their absence, Joe Costello managed
Deep Well. Johannsen did his utmost to keep the mission self-supporting. He sunk new wells and organised the
Aborigines to plant vegetables both at the mission and at Kaporilja Springs over seven kilometres away. The federal
government granted the mission a 200 Pounds subsidy for the 1923–24 financial year. This allowed Johannsen
to set up a tanning industry, and new buildings and stockyards were completed. Mrs Johannsen and her eldest
daughter Elsa taught the women to embroider and crochet.
In 1926, a wave of poliomyelitis had reached epidemic proportions in Central Australia, and Johannsen was
one of its victims. Johannsen’s son Kurt, then aged 11, drove his father by truck over 90 kilometres of roadless
country into Alice Springs. He was cared for by his wife for three months, until he was fit enough to make the
journey to Adelaide for proper medical attention. By 1928, he had recovered and was once again on Deep Well.
The return, however, was short lived. After surviving seven years of harsh drought, the family was forced off Deep