 Edgar Towner was born on 19 April 1890 , at Glencoe Station near Blackall , Queensland , to Edgar Thomas Towner , a grazing farmer , and his Irish wife Greta ( née <unk> ) . He was educated at Blackall State School and in Rockhampton , although he also received private instruction from his mother . After leaving school Towner worked on his father 's grazing property until 1912 , when he acquired land of his own . He named the property " Valparaiso " and worked on its development until the outbreak of the First World War . 
