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John Brown was born at Four Mile Creek, near Morpeth, NSW in 1851. In 1844 his father James and elder brother Alexander began to work at the coalmine at Four Mile Creek and in 1850 arranged to move to Burwood near Newcastle. In 1859 the Browns purchased the colliery at Minmi and around 6000 acres of land in the surrounding area and began to develop the property. The Brown brothers were pioneers in that they were the first Australians to trade coal with China. In 1887 his father retired and John gained full control of the company. Under his direction the production of the Minmi mine rose from 185,000 tons per year in 1885 to 318,000 tons per year in 1908. He also began production of the the Richmond Vale estate, which was later to become the Richmond Vale colliery. Brown has been described as "a legendary figure who might have stepped out of the pages of a Galsworthy novel.'" Historian John Turner has said that Brown "had a strong strain of theatricality and liked to play the part of the relentless capitalist." It has been noted that on one trip overseas, Brown spent over one million pounds on mining equipment, locomotives and a steamship on which to carry his purchases home. John Brown became commonly known as the 'Coal Baron' or the 'Coal King' and gained a reputation as a shrewd business man was considered by many to be the richest man in Australia. John Brown died in 1930 and was buried only a short distance from the site of his birth.
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