William Reynolds Bayly (21 May 1867 – 9 November 1937) was an educator in South Australia, headmaster of Prince Alfred College from 1915 to 1929.

History

Bayly was born in

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...

, a son of William Lansell Bayly (c. 1836–1911) and his wife Mary Ellen Bayly, née Phillips (c. 1842–1901), the first couple to be married in the Wesleyan Church,

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 ...

. W. L. Bayly was Secretary of the

East End Market The East End is a part of the Adelaide central business district, in the north-east corner of the Adelaide city centre. This area is a popular office and retail district and has an increasing residential interest from the building of high-dens ...

and a founder of the Port Adelaide Institute. W. R. Bayly was educated at Port Adelaide State School when Allen Martin was headmaster, and won a scholarship to study at Prince Alfred College. He entered Adelaide University and qualified M.A. and BSc. He returned to PAC as a master, serving from 1893 to 1909. In 1909 he was appointed headmaster of

Geelong College , motto_translation = Thus one goes to the stars , established = , type = Independent, co-educational, day and boarding, Christian school , denomination = in association with the Uniting ...

, where he was known as "Masher Bill", and from 1910 to 1914 did much to improve the school's sporting and scholastic performance, but during a six months' absence overseas his reputation suffered by comparison with the acting head W. T. Price. One College historian reports that he was "self-centred, in the style of R. G. Menzies". In 1915 he returned to PAC to succeed

Frederic Chapple Frederic Chapple (12 October 1845 – 29 February 1924) was the influential headmaster of Prince Alfred College in Adelaide, South Australia, from 1876 to 1914. History Frederic was born in London a son of John Chapple, a mason from Devonshire, ...

as headmaster. He retired in 1929 and died at his home on Wootoona Terrace,

Glen Osmond Glen Osmond is a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of Burnside which is in the foothills of the Adelaide Hills. It is well known for the road intersection on the western side of the suburb, where the South Eastern Freeway (National ...

Other interests

Bayly was a fine athlete, a keen lacrosse player, and excelled in rowing. He was a member of the Adelaide University council from 1915 to 1937. He was a member and longtime president of the Adelaide Glee Club, Prince Alfred Old Collegians Association and the South Australian branch of the

Royal Society of St George The Royal Society of St George is an English patriotic society established in 1894 to encourage interest in the English way of life, and English customs and traditions. History In 1415 St. George became the Patron Saint of England after the Englis ...

. He and lifelong friend J. R. Robertson had parallel lives: both won scholarships to PAC while at Port Adelaide School. Both were educators with responsible positions at PAC, and each was a prominent Freemason.

Family

William Reynolds Bayly married Elizabeth Dreyer (1869–1959) on 30 March 1899. Their children included: *Gwendoline Reynolds Bayly (29 July 1900– ) married Ian Richard McTaggart on 20 May 1925 *Clarrie Elizabeth Bayly (1902– ) *Lorna Ellen Bayly (1905– ) married Herbert Champion Hosking in 1927 *George Lancelot Bayly (1907–1972) was married to Alison Jean Bayly

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayly, William 1867 births 1937 deaths Australian headmasters People from Adelaide Geelong College Colony of South Australia people