Talk:C. A. Hornabrook

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Article not really a biography

This article fails to explain how he became involved with the Broken Hill mine, the source of his fortune, nor how he got into business in the first place. It seems to cover his genealogy and the history of his housing accommodation. That doesn't constitute a biography. How does this individual fit into the historical and social context in which he lived his life? Was he involved in business deals? Are sources for such information lacking? If so, this person is not notable.--Quisqualis (talk) 20:29, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Good point, seeing it's mentioned in the lede but nowhere else. In brief, he was making good money as landlord and hotelier and was lucky enough to invest some of it in BHP shares in the early days and resisted the temptation to unload them when calls were being made. Hardly pioneering stuff but essential to the story and I missed it entirely in my fascination for famous relatives and architects. Thanks again. Doug butler (talk) 22:36, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Just as an aside, the article comes across as a compilation of genealogical research factoids carefully strung together, rather than history or biography. I take it that, being a relative, this subject was compelling enough that you did exactly that. Don't be surprised if this article is nominated for deletion for lack of secondary and tertiary sourcing (but not by me).--Quisqualis (talk) 23:32, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

I take exception to your implication of a personal involvement, probably due to my poor choice of words. Nothing could be further from the truth. I do have a fascination with the webs of influence exerted by a dozen or twenty families in late 19th-century Adelaide, but no-one I know or am related or connected to has ever made their way into my efforts, with the possible exception of the minister who married my parents. Doug butler (talk) 08:49, 8 January 2020 (UTC) The only references I can find to Hornabrook's BHP investments is in that at the end of the sentence, and further down, when he was liquidating a lot of assets in a slow market. A few months later he would have realized a lot more, but he died worth £47,000, maybe $50 million today, so he did okay. Doug butler (talk) 10:13, 8 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Neutral language

"Made a fortune" doesn't sound very neutral to me. סשס Grimmchild 08:31, 10 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]