[3] In his early youth Machan was engaged in driving and employed by the Collinsons (well-known settlers in Far North Queensland).
He was later employed at Kidston and many Tableland townships before residing permanently in the Cairns area in 1924.
[3] Machan was described by his grandson as “a bit of an entrepreneur” because of using the opportunity to sell to miners in the local area.
[2] Machan discovered this opportunity after working at the Kidston gold mine himself.
Machan died in the Cairns Hospital in 1941 at the age of 76 after being ill for some months.