He was Victorian Premier for more than three years, known for his good humour and service to the region, but these days few people have heard of John Murray.
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The Rotary Club of Warrnambool is helping to change that with its latest project renovating Murray’s grave site in the Warrnambool Cemetery.
Community service director Brian Trenery said what began as a plan to makeover the site in time for the centenary of Murray’s death in May 2016, quickly turned into a two-year project.
“It was just a mess. When we came to look at it some of the ironwork was laying on the grave and some missing. It had to have new foundations and the whole lot,” he said.
“The headstone was laying about 30 degrees so the whole thing had to be pulled out and re-done. There was a fair bit of work in it.”
The headstone, which had been virtually unreadable, was re-guilded and another plaque installed, the foundations replaced and new bluestone edging put in.
“All the stone was discoloured and originally there was iron fencing around it but over time it had rusted and expanded all the stone and broken it all away,” Mr Trenery said.
“We opted not re-install the ironwork because the same thing would happen again, but we kept as close to the original pattern as we could (with the bluestone edging).”
Mr Trenery said Murray’s contribution to the south-west and Victoria inspired the work.
“It tells members of the community that this guy did exist and lets them know some of the things he did in the community,” he said.
“I’m not sure that too many people know the amount of work he put in for the Aboriginal community at Framlingham. He did a lot of work out there as others turned their back on it.”
Murray was Premier for more than three years and represented the south-west for 32 years.
In the Biographical Dictionary of the Western District of Victoria, edited by Gordon Forth, Murray was described as a popular “man’s man”, gregarious and good-humoured.
He was born on July 8, 1851 at Koroit, the son of Scottish emigrants. His father held pastoral licences at Kangaroo Flat, near Koroit, and Glenample Station near Port Campbell, later purchasing land on the Tooram run on the Hopkins River.
Murray attended Allansford National School and Marine House. He first stood for election in 1883 against former Premier J.G. Francis but was unsuccessful. Francis died the following year and Murray gained the seat and held it until his death.
