Sir George Frederic Verdon (1834-1896) emigrated to Melbourne in 1851, aged 17, and obtained a position in the office of Grice Sumner and Company, a mercantile business in Flinders Street, Melbourne. He then went into business in Williamstown and began his public career as a member of the inaugural local municipal council in 1856. The same year, he was also elected to the committee to establish the first Mechanics Institute in Williamstown. In 1859, he was elected to the legislative assembly for Williamstown and became Treasurer in November 1860. He resigned in November 1861 but was reappointed Treasurer in June 1863 under the McCulloch ministry, which lasted until May 1868. During the parliamentary recess of 1866, Verdon journeyed to England to advocate for the defenses of Victoria before the British authorities. His efforts were fruitful, securing £100,000 toward the construction of the warship HMS Cerberus, while the HMS Nelson was allocated to Victoria as a training vessel. Upon his return, he suggested that the colony establish a representative in London, which ultimately led to the creation of the Agent-General of Victoria office in 1868; Verdon was appointed as its first incumbent for a term of four years. His interests spanned science, art, and literature. In his youth, he served as an honorary assistant at the Melbourne Observatory under Robert Ellery, the Government Astronomer and fellow resident of Williamstown. An avid collector of art, he became a Trustee of the Public Library, Museums, and National Gallery of Victoria in 1872, then going on to be elected Vice-President in 1880, and President in 1883. In 1872, he was honoured with the title of Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George for his invaluable contributions to the political, scientific, artistic, and educational progress of the early colony. Verdon street Williamstown was named in his honour. source: www.williamstownhistsoc.org.au mla for williamstown, sir george verdon

Softcover book in dark red with white text. Line drawing depicting the first school buildingnon-fictionA history of the Williamstown High School from 1867 - 2014 including illustrations, photographs, maps and documents williamstown high school, schools, williamstown, schools-victoria, schools-government, sir george verdon, charles steedman, westbourne grammar school

Charles Steedman was headmaster of Williamstown Grammar School from 1870-76 and 1885-90. In 1870, under agreement with school trustees, Sir George Verdon and John Courtis, he leased the school under a seven-year lease, effectively saving it from closure. Steedman had previously been manager of Sandridge Baths and a champion swimmer of Victoria. His 1867 book, 'Manual of Swimming', was the first major technical contribution to the sport of speed swimming and water safety, for which Steedman was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2006. As headmaster of Williamstown Grammar, Steedman initiated a student produced school paper called 'The Schoolboy' (surviving editions can be accessed at the State Library of Victoria), added swimming lessons to the curriculum and opened enrolment to girls in 1885. The book contains nine illustration plates featuring line drawings of a human figure in the positions detailed by Steedman in his text. These drawings are attributed to O.R. Campbell. Oswald Rose Campbell is best known for his appointment (1876-1886) as drawing master of the School of Design, a department of the Public Library, Museums and National Gallery of Victoria. He taught (and famously disagreed with) the likes of celebrated Australian artists, Tom Roberts and Frederick McCubbin. O.R Campbell taught drawing and painting at Williamstown Grammar in the early 1870s.The book holds historic significance for Westbourne Grammar School, having been written by a former headmaster and very important figure in the history of the school. It evokes our early history as an emerging grammar school with links to prominent athletes, artists and gentry of colonial Melbourne. Blue cloth covered case-bound book, with debossed decorative scrollwork in each corner and in the centre of front cover, and gilt lettering on the spine. 270 numbered pages, nine illustration plates (one adjacent to title page, eight as end pages).On title page, handwritten inscriptions in brown coloured ink. Possibly ‘Joshua Saggs Esq. / With the authors compliments’ and below, in different handwriting and darker ink, ‘To dear Flossie from Grandma 1901’. williamstown, sandridge baths, swimming, colonial melbourne, art, williamstown grammar