Surveyor Robert Dixon
Dixon ranked high among Australia's greatest surveyors and explorers.
In 1839 he began a survey of Moreton Bay to facilitate free settlement in the area. In January of the following year he was promoted to surveyor in charge of the Moreton Bay district but was suspended after an altercation with Lieutenant Gorman. Dixon's convict servant was arrested and Dixon's response saw him charged with attempting to incite a mutiny. Dixon denied the charges and lodged counter-charges of improper conduct against the Lieutenant. The Lieutenant was later relieved of his appointment as magistrate and the charges against Dixon were not progressed. Dixon, however, was not reinstated. He eventually returned to England in 1846 where he failed to find work. He returned to Australia in 1852, spuriously claiming he had been hired to manage a gold mine.
Sir Sydney Cotton
Sydney John Cotton was the first commandant of the penal settlement in the area between September 1837 and May 1839. He had a distinguished career with the British Army, rising to the rank of Lt.-General and was Knighted for his services during the Indian Mutiny. He joined the 22nd Light Dragoons as a Cornet on 19 April 1812, served in India for some years, and was promoted to Captain by purchase in 1822, transferring to the 3rd (Buffs) Regiment which was then serving in New South Wales.
Mount Cotton, Queensland is named after him.