Sir Austin Chapman declared at the first Canberra land auction that: "... if any man were entitled to be known as the Father of Canberra, it was veteran Queanbeyan journalist John Gale". Charles Daley quoted Chapman's words in various articles in "The Canberra Times" in the 1960s and also in his book, "As I Recall". He said that: "... John Gale lived to see his vision realized, and he was invited to attend the opening of Parliament House at Canberra, on 9 May 1927, when he was presented to Their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of York, ... who would wish to dispute his right to be acknowledged as the 'Father of Canberra?'".