Holtermann, Bernard Otto, 1838 – 1885

Bernard Otto Holtermann (1838-1885), gold miner, merchant and parliamentarian, was born at Hamburg, Germany. He arrived in Sydney in August 1858 and unable to find work due to his lack of English so he took a job on a schooner out of Sydney. He returned in 1859 and met Polish miner Ludwig Hugo Louis Beyers with whom he travelled to Tambaroora in the Hill End area of NSW to prospect for gold. They began prospecting on Hawkins Hill in 1861 but had limited success until 1872 when a large gold reef was uncovered and brought to the surface almost intact.

Holtermann built a house with tower at St. Leonards (now North Sydney) in 1874 and included in the tower a stained glass depiction of himself with the 'nugget'. Holterman met photographers Charles Bayliss and Beaufoy Merlin at Hill End and encouraged them to photograph settled areas of NSW. Merlin died in 1873 but Bayliss continued with Holtermann's encouragement and succeeded in taking a panoramic view of Sydney from the tower of Holtermann's house.

Holtermann was elected a member of the NSW Legislative Assembly for the seat of St. Leonards (1882-1885) and was an alderman on the first Hill End Borough Council. [ref:ADB 4]