William Geale

MR . WILLIAM GEALE.

‘The service given by William Geale to the Circular Head Municipality was robust always. He was essentially a man of vision. He came from Victoria in 1903, saw the wonderful Mowbray Swamp from a waterlogged area of peaty land always aflood dreamed his dream, went back to Victoria and at once returned with a party of Victorian farmers determined to try it out. He and the others of his party took up considerable areas of the swamp, formed a Drainage Board, and got to work. ln a while their clearing and draining efforts slowly began to tell, other settlers joined them, and the result now is the richest farm and dairy area in Australia.[1928] There is much still to be done, but always in the midst of Mowbray are the Geale family's holdings as a shining example of what to expect and how to go about the realisation of those expectations.
The name of William Geale must always he associated with the real discovery and development of the swamp, and for this alone the Circular Head people owe him much, he not only saw things in their true perspective, but acted vigorously on his judgment, and these two faculties contributed greatly in the development of the district in which he lived.’

July 1921 William died at his home, Smithton, after a short but severe illness. 'Mr. Geale was one of the most widely respected residents of Circular Head. Coming across from Gippsland many years ago, he opened business as an auctioneer and commission agent when it was only small town. From the start he took a keen interest in all public matters and he was one of the few who saw the butter factory through its infancy. He was popular with all classes, having a kindly disposition. He was one of the original settlers on Mowbray Swamp, and always expressed the greatest confidence in the ultimate success of the swamp enterprise. He was a justice of the peace, and had been chairman of the court on different occasions. He was connected in some way with nearly every public institution in town, and his one desire always was the advancement of the district. He lost his eldest son during the great war, but he continued to work for patriotic purposes, right through the dark years, and presided at almost every soldier's farewell and welcome home held in Smithton. His place will be hard to fill, for he was a worker and a regular attendant at all meetings. He was a P. G. of the Oddfellows Lodge, and a P.M. of the Masonic Lodge, in which he always evinced keen interest....his widow and a grown up family of sons and daughters mourn the loss a loving husband and father.'

William was associated with the establishment of the Duck River butter factory. This business, which continues [2022], was established, largely through the energy and enthusiasm of William Geale, ’ The Duck River Butter Factory shows the thoroughness of his vision, for the swamp without the butter factory would be as useless us the factory without the swamp.'
‘The clock itself- in the Municipal Council Chamber presides over the deliberations of the council, and an external face high up on the front elevation of the hall, speaks to the whole town. Both inside and outside therefore there will be present a reminder of the things for which William Geale lived, and its insistent message every minute of the day will be "The right time for service always is now."

ln this way will the spirit of William Geale's life be kept alive for all time.'

Buried at the Scotchtown cemetery. 'The cortege was a lengthy one, all representative bodies taking part in it. The Freemasons were in the lead, followed by the Oddfellows. The pall-bearers were Messrs. F. C. Parsons, H. Carr,L. W. Brooks, Chester Ward, J. W. C. Hamilton and G. Boat
wright. The chief mourners were were Messrs. E. G. Geale and C. Geale (sons); T. J. Murphy(son-in-law),
A. E . Grey (brother-in-law) Mr. N. Burgess (nephew). Services were held by the Rev. R Trebilco (Methodist), the Masons (Wor. Bro. Tanner, W.M.) and the Oddfellows. There were many beautiful floral tributes from different bodies, showing the high esteem in which the deceased was held. Warden Spicer and several
leading residents of Stanley were in attendance.'

1928 'TRIBUTE TO ADUCE', Advocate (Burnie, Tas. : 1890 - 1954), 24 April, p. 3. , viewed 14 Mar 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article67584797

1942 'A Romance in Production', Advocate (Burnie, Tas. : 1890 - 1954), 27 August, p. 3. , viewed 14 Mar 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article68778032

1921 'MR. WILLIAM GEALE.', Circular Head Chronicle (Stanley, Tas. : 1906 - 1954), 27 July, p. 3. , viewed 14 Mar 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article162953373