 He was a prominent Presbyterian became a founder of St Andrew's College, Sydney, and member of its council.He was also a vice-president of the Highland Society and a member of the Victoria Club and the Linnean Society of New South Wales.He joined the committee of the Chamber of Commerce in 1867 and in the 1870s served on the committees of the Benevolent Asylum, the Sydney Infirmary and Dispensary and the Hospital for Sick Children, and was a vice-president of the Young Men's Christian Association and the Horticultural Society of New South Wales.