LONDON, ENGLAND. — Charles Todd was born on July 7, 1826. He came to Adelaide with his wife Alice, after whom Alice Springs is named, on November 5, 1855.
He was instrumental in linking Adelaide and Melbourne by telegraph in 1858, and five years later began addressing the possibility of linking Australia with the rest of the world via telegraph.
As Superintendent of Telegraphs and Government Astronomer in South Australia, he persuaded the government to build the 3200km overland telegraph from Port Augusta in the south to the port of Darwin in the north.
The British-Australian Telegraph Company would then connect the cable from Darwin to Java.
During the construction of the Line, the Todd River was named and discovered. The telegraph line was completed in 1872. Todd, later given the position of Postmaster General in South Australia, was also involved in early experiments with the telephone in Australia, trialling voice transmissions over distances up to 400 kilometres, between 1886 and 1888.
His legacy to Australia was in enabling the young country to maintain up-to-date communications with the rest of the world, whether by telegraph or telephone.
