Horatio Wills, posthumous son of a convict, born in Sydney in 1811,
Editor of the Sydney Gazette
Proprietor and Editor of the Currency Lad, Australia’s first privately owned newspaper
Landowner with properties successively Burra Burra near modern day Canberra, Lexington, la Rose and Mokepilly at Moyston Victoria, Belle Vue at Point Henry Geelong Victoria and Cullinlaringo near Springsure, Queensland.
Member of the Victorian Parliament
Pioneer of Australian agriculture
Founder of the Geelong and Western District Agricultural and Horticultural Society
Leader of the party which was attacked by Aboriginals and became the largest massacre of whites in Australia’s history before Port Arthur. He and 18 other men, women and children were killed in October 1861 in what became known as the Springsure massacre.
Father of Thomas Wentworth Wills, the Founder of Australian football, twelve times Captain of Victoria in Inter-colonial cricket and coach of the first (Aboriginal) cricket team to tour England and
Uncle of Henry Colden Antill Harrison, the Father of Australian Football, writer of the rules and President of the Football Association.
This book of 300 pages with many illustrations is mostly derived from letters and other papers in the possession of the author giving a vivid description of the time about people who are major figures in Australia’s history.