Elisha Clement "Elizee" De Garis (17 September 1851 – 2 July 1948) was an Australian irrigationist. De Garis was born at

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Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

in the

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to carpenter Elisha De Garis and Mary, ''née'' Roberts. In 1854 the De Garises migrated to Australia, settling in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

and then Naracoorte. The young Elisha attended the Collegiate School of St Peter before moving to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in 1872 to study architecture. Ordained in the Wesleyan Methodist Church in 1880, he married Elizabeth Buncle on 2 February 1881 and was formally ordained as a minister in 1882 for

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and

Kerang Kerang is a rural town on the Loddon River in northern Victoria in Australia. It is the commercial centre to an irrigation district based on livestock, horticulture, lucerne and grain. It is located north-west of Melbourne on the Murray V ...

. He became known as a supporter of

Hugh McColl Hugh L. McColl Jr. (born 18 June 1935) is a fourth-generation banker and the former Chairman and CEO of Bank of America. Active in banking since around 1960, McColl was a driving force behind consolidating a series of progressively larger, mos ...

's irrigation schemes and was appointed irrigation correspondent for the Melbourne ''

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''; he was appointed inaugural chairman of the Tragowel Plains Irrigation and Water Supply Trust and also served as chairman of the Central Irrigation League, editing the ''Australian Irrigationist'' and founding the Associated Australian Yeomanry. In 1888, De Garis was a commissioner of the Melbourne Centennial International Exhibition, having formally renounced the cloth in 1887 (although he continued as a lay preacher). He established a market garden at

Werribee Werribee is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Wyndham local government area. Werribee recorded a population of 50,027 at the 2021 census. Werribee i ...

with George Chaffey but in 1891 moved to

Mildura Mildura is a regional city in north-west Victoria, Australia. Located on the Victorian side of the Murray River, Mildura had a population of 34,565 in 2021. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point and Merbein are included, the area had ...

, where he was one of the founders of the Australian Dried Fruits Association and president of Mildura Shire Council (1907–08). He returned to Melbourne in 1908, leaving his son

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to manage his Mildura affairs. Elected to Moorabbin Shire Council in 1909, he ran unsuccessfully for the state seat of

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

in 1909 and the federal seat of Yarra in 1910 for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. He spent time in Guernsey from 1916 to 1919; his wife died in 1918 and he remarried Mary Evaleen Waugh on 23 April 1919 at

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

. He died in 1948.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:De Garis, Elizee 1851 births 1948 deaths Guernsey emigrants to Australia People from Melbourne Australian agriculturalists Commonwealth Liberal Party politicians People educated at St Peter's College, Adelaide