Frederick Race Godfrey (11 May 1828 – 11 September 1910), was a Victorian (Australia) pioneer and politician.

Early life

Frederic was the fourth son of Colonel John Race Godfrey and Jane Octavia Woodhouse. He was born at

Bellary Bellary, officially Ballari, in the eponymous Bellary district, is a city in the state of Karnataka, India. History Bellary was a part of Rayalaseema (Ceded Districts) which was part of Madras Presidency till 1 November 1956. The Ball ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

on 11 May 1828 and educated at

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England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. In 1847 at the age of 19 he came to

Port Phillip Port Phillip (Kulin languages, Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped bay#Types, enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, ...

aboard the sailing ship, " Duke of Roxburgh" to join his brother, Henry Godfrey on Boort Station, where he became a partner. He was one of the pioneers of

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, having in 1850 converted the Boort swamp into a fine lake by a cutting from the

Loddon River The Loddon River, an inland river of the northcentral catchment, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the lower Riverina bioregion and Central Highlands and Loddon Mallee regions of the Australian state of Victoria. The headwaters ...

, now known as Lake Boort, on the shores of which stands the town of Boort, with its main street bearing the name of Godfrey. Boort is aboriginal for 'smoke', and Bald Hill, where the town now stands, was a signalling ground for the Aboriginals living in the area. When the station was sold in 1863, Frederic Race Godfrey bought Pevensey Station,

Hay, New South Wales Hay is a town in the western Riverina region of south western New South Wales, Australia. It is the administrative centre of Hay Shire local government area and the centre of a prosperous and productive agricultural district on the wide Hay Plain ...

, with his brother in law, Frank a’Beckett Chambers, who occupied the position of overseer, and F. R. Godfrey resided at Mt. Ridley, Craigieburn, which he had leased from his relative, Captain James Pearson and used it as a depot for sheep which were sent 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 ...

market from Pevensey Station. He also engaged in agricultural pursuits at Mt. Ridley, where he resided for 17 years. He was one of the original directors of the old Port Phillip Farmers’ Associations which was the genesis of the present Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria. Frederic Race Godfrey was prominent in the public life of Victoria for many years. He was a member and President of the Merriang Shire Council and a member of the Broadmeadows Shire Council. He entered the

Legislative Assembly of Victoria The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presiding ...

as a member for East Bourke in May 1874, which seat he held until April 1877. Elected President of the

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Committee in 1887, he held the position for 17 consecutive years. In 1862 he was elected a member of the Acclimatisation Society of Victoria (which ran the

Melbourne Zoo Melbourne Zoo is a zoo in Melbourne, Australia. It is located within Royal Park in Parkville, approximately north of the centre of Melbourne. It is the primary zoo serving Melbourne. The zoo contains more than 320 animal species from Austra ...

), and was President of that body for 7 subsequent terms. With Albert Le Souef, Frederic Race Godfrey established the Government Reserve at

Gembrook Gembrook is a town in Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Cardinia local government area. Gembrook recorded a population of 2,559 at the 2021 census. Gembrook is a popular ...

for the Acclimatisation Society. He also acted on the committee for the reservation of

Wilson's Promontory Wilsons Promontory, is a peninsula that forms the southernmost part of the Australian mainland, located in the state of Victoria. South Point at is the southernmost tip of Wilsons Promontory and hence of mainland Australia. Located at nearb ...

as a sanctuary for native flora and fauna. He was a member of the first Committee of the

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, Melbourne Art Gallery, serving from 1904–1909. He was Founder and Vice President of the Philatelic Society of Victoria, in August 1892. He was a Justice of the Peace for many years and was also prominent in the commercial life of Victoria, being one of the founders and an original Director of the Trustees, Executors and Agency Company Limited, Melbourne, and Chairman of Directors 1895–1909. A staunch churchman, he was a lay member of the Church of England Assembly and appointed first Lay Canon of

St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Melbourne, Australia. It is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Melbourne and the seat of the Archbishop of Melbourne, who is also the metropolitan archbishop of the Province of Victoria. Th ...

, 1869. A member of the Council of the Diocese and also Chairman of Committees (Church Assembly and Synod) for many years a lay clerk (Honorary Reader) and Vice President of the Cathedral Choir Association, and Vicars Churchwarden at All Saints, St Kilda. He was a member of the

Melbourne Club The Melbourne Club is a private social club established in 1838 and located at 36 Collins Street, Melbourne. The club is a symbol of Australia's British social heritage and was established at a gathering of 23 gentlemen on Saturday, 17 Decembe ...

for 54 yrs and President in 1887. He married firstly, at Christ Church, St Kilda. On 29 April 1854, Margaret Lillias, eldest daughter of David Chambers, who was Crown Solicitor and Under Sheriff of the Colony of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, 1833, by whom he had issue, 4 sons and 5 daughters. She died at St Kilda in 1895. He married secondly, at St Johns,

Darlinghurst Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district (CBD) and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the City of Sydney. I ...

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, on 3 October 1898, Marian, daughter of Richard Walker, of

Bury, Lancashire Bury ( ) is a market town on the River Irwell in Greater Manchester, England. Metropolitan Borough of Bury is administered from the town, which had an estimated population of 78,723 in 2015. The town is within the Historic counties of Englan ...

. They had no issue. Fredericks eldest daughter, Mary Lillias, was born at Boort on 5 December 1856. She married at All Saints Church, St. Kilda, the Revd. Charles Edward Drought, M.A,

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

and Canon of St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne. They had two sons, Charles Frederick and John Smerger. Frederic Race Godfrey died at ‘Graylings’, St Kilda, Melbourne on 11 September 1910. He is buried at

St Kilda Cemetery St Kilda Cemetery is located in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda East, Victoria. History St Kilda Cemetery covers a large block bordered by Dandenong Road, Hotham Street, Alma Road and Alexandra Street. It is bounded by a historic wall and conta ...

, Melbourne.

References

*http://www.chig.asn.au/fr_godfrey.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Godfrey, Frederick Race 1828 births 1910 deaths Victoria (state) state politicians Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly