Civil servant Alexander Rose Macdonald was born in Inverness in 1845 and initially migrated to Australia to grow sugar in a business venture with his brother which ultimately failed. Following this, he joined the public service working in various positions in North Queensland, including as an Immigration Agent, Police Magistrate and Gold Warden, before becoming Undersecretary of Mines and Gold Warden for Brisbane in 1899. He married Nancy Armitage in 1880. He retired in 1915 and died in 1931. He is buried at Toowong Cemetary.