George Clowser was born on August 18, 1862 at Wild Dog, a gold mining area near Dunolly. His parents, James, a butcher, and Sarah (nee Parkinson) were both born in England, but had married in Castlemaine in 1854. The couple had two other children, Sabina born in 1856, who sadly died in 1862, and Catherine who was born in 1860 (2). George grew up in the Castlemaine area (3) and he entered the Postal Department when it was under the Victorian Government, in 1878, Mr. Clowser was in 1887 transferred to the Public Works Department where he became paymaster on public works (4).
The Public Works Department (PWD) appears to have been a convival group, for instance at a banquet held in 1893 for the sexagenarians and other officers who have been called upon to sever their connections with the Government service George and others of his colleagues entertained the group with an interesting programme of songs and recitations (5). The banquet was presided over by William Davidson, Inspector General of Public Works. Other sombre functions, such as funerals, were also attended by groups of PWD staff and at the funeral of 59 year old Michael Madden, who had been in the Public Service for 42 years, both George Clowser and William Davidson were pall bearers (6). These were the days when men like George and Michael would enter the Public Service at 15 or 16 years of age and spend all their working life there.
George had the role of paymaster at the PWD and we have some idea of the various locations he travelled to by reports in the newspapers and sometimes there were unexpected incidents. This report was in the Emerald Hill Record in April 1897 -
A lamentable accident happened on Saturday afternoon last when Mr. Percy Ralph Faviell, a retired sugar planter, who had been residing with his wife at the Hotel Victoria, Beaconsfield-parade, Albert Park, met his death in a most remarkable manner. It appeared that deceased was one of a party of gentlemen who went down the bay in the gunboat, Albert, of the Public Works Department, the main object of the trip being to enable Mr. G. Clowser, pay-master in the Department, to visit the dredge John Nimmo in the South Channel for the purpose of giving the hands on that vessel their usual month's
pay. The Minister of Public Works (Mr. Taverner), the chairman of Committee (Mr. F. C. Mason), Messrs. F. G. Tucker (South Melbourne), Sangster (Port Melbourne), and A. L. Tucker (Fitzroy), M's.L.A. and Messrs. John M'Gregor, stock and share broker, of Collins Street, and F. Luxton of Armadale, were of the party, and a pleasant day was experienced until Coode's Canal in the Yarra, was reached on the return journey. It was then about 9.45 and Mr. Faviell was sitting on the gunwale between Messrs. Clowser and Luxton when he appeared to become seized with some sudden spasm, and fell backwards over the side of the vessel into the water. Captain Steele, who was in charge of the gunboat, was immediately informed of the accident, and the cry of "a man overboard" being raised, immediately steps were taken to save the accused..... Mr. Watson, son of the keeper of the Port Melbourne baths, jumped overboard to Mr. Faviell's assistance. Mr. Watson stated that he looked all around the spot but could see no trace of the deceased, who appeared to have sunk immediately, and not risen again to the surface. In spite of intensive searching that day and the next, Mr Faviell's body was not found until 4.45pm on the Sunday afternoon (7). Mr Faviell was described as being a friend of Mr Tavener and I wonder how frequently PWD vessels were used for what appears to have been a private party - or perhaps George Clowser, the public servant, often worked on a Saturday.
In September 1901, George was in Boolara and visited the road works carried on by the Public Works Department....and paid the men their fortnight's earnings. The amount paid away was about £230. There were 70 men employed there at the time (8). You can read about the Boolara to Foster Road here.
In June 1908, George visited the 100 men working on the tourist road on Mt Buffalo. They worked under taxing conditions and he spoke to the newspapers about the trip "The men," continued Mr. Clowser, "are supposed to be camped below the snowline. If this place is below the snow line, then my experience must be exceptional. The temperature was down to about 20 degrees Fahrenheit, and it was very cold, but, the view was glorious yesterday morning. It commenced to snow on Thursday afternoon, and apparently it continued all night. There was so much snow that the men had to rise early and shovel the snow from the tops of the tents to prevent the tents collapsing with the weight of the snow (9).
George also said "I stayed on Thursday night at Carlisle's Hospice (10), which is higher up Mount Buffalo than The Fount (11). We had to place the whisky bottle which we had with us down by the fire to take the chill off the liquor before we touched it, for it was half-frozen. It is not uncommon thing for bottles of lager beer to become quite frozen. When I went to got a wash yesterday morning all the water in the large jug was a block of ice." (12)
Carlile's Hospice, where George Clowser stayed in 1908
Buffalo Hospice - Carlisle's, c. 1891-1910. Photographer: Reginald Wood
State Library of Victoria Image H2004.41/18
George Clowser was also the paymaster on the Koo Wee Rup Swamp when the swamp was first opened up (13), which was 1893 onwards. He was very popular there and a writer in the South Bourke and Mornington Journal in August 1903 talked about a function being organised for him - I note, with pleasure that a movement is on foot, initiated at "yon end" to recognise the genial merits of our popular paymaster, Mr. G. Clowser, of the Public Works department, who may be looked upon as one of the pioneers of Kooweerup, and from his adventures in the execution of his duty a most interesting article might be written. If the proposed purse is weighed in the scale of allround popularity it should be a heavy one. The function takes place in the Public Hall, Kooweerup, on an early date (14). I can't find a report of this function, if it did end up taking place.
George had a number of promotions in the Public Service - in September 1908 he was promoted from fourth to third class; in August 1912 he was promoted from Acting Chief Clerk of the PWD to Chief Clerk and Accountant; in April 1918 he was the Acting Secretary for Public Works and in October 1920 he was the Acting Permanant Head of the PWD.His salary increase was reported in The Herald - Mr G. Clowser, Chief Clerk (now Acting Secretary) of the Public Works Department, has been promoted from the old second class, (£576) to the head of the first class, and will draw £750 a year. In August 1921, he was also appointed as chairman of the Municipal Auditors' Board (15).
In June 1912 the Officers of the Public Works Department were photographed in a group portrait. George Clowser is on the right, seated next to Carlo Catani. Next to Carlo is William Davidson, Inspector General of Public Works and next to him is William Edgar, the Minister of Public Works.
Punch June 20, 1912 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/175618291/20484835#
See footnote 16 for the uncropped photo which was taken by Darge.
George clearly had an impressive career in the Public Service but of course he also had a private life. He was a married man, he had married Alice Walls on September 17, 1888. The marriage took place at her parents house in Carlton by the Reverend D. S. M'Eachran, a Presbyterian Minister. They had three children - Irene Alice in 1889; George Charles in 1892 and Ella Beatrice born 1894 (17). George Charles served in the First World War, he enlisted in February 1915. Young George very optimistic of an early end to the War as The Herald published the following letter he wrote to his father in July 1916
"We will he home, by Christmas," states Lance-Corporal G. Clowser, of the Motor Transport Corps, in a letter to his father, Mr G. Clowser, Chief Clerk of the Public Works. Corporal Clowser conveyed the impression that he expected a speedy termination of the war, as the French were "very confident" of the success of the operation's proceeding on the west front (18). Sadly, as we know this optimism was misplaced and George Returned to Australia in April 1918 and was discharged as medically unfit due to neurosis (19). He is pictured below.
Lieutenant George Charles Clowser, 2nd Anzac Corps Troop Supply.
Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P08589.001
George and Alice lived north of the Yarra for many years - in Fitzroy and from around 1906 to 1922 at Claptonwood, 45 McIlwraith Street, North Carlton. For the last two years of his life they lived at 22 Broadway, Camberwell. George died on January 22, 1924. There was a funeral notice from his family, from the Court Friar Tuck, No. 3194 Ancient Order of Foresters as well as the Lodge of Australasia, No. 3, a Freemasons Lodge. As a matter of interest, William Thwaites, former Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department (and Carlo's boss) who then held the same position at the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works, was also a member of the Lodge of Australasia, No. 3. Alice Clowser died June 11, 1927 and they are buried at the Melbourne General Cemetery (20).
Carlo Catani is remembered by Lake Catani on Mount Buffalo, the Catani Gardens at St Kilda and the town of Catani, on the Koo Wee Rup Swamp. George Clowser had some role in the naming of the town after his colleague. This report was in the Weekly Times in March 1920 To perpetuate the memory of the late Mr C. Catani, formerly Chief Engineer for Public Works, the Railway Department has decided to name the second station on the Kooweerup-M'Donald's Track line Catani. The tribute was paid on representations made by the Kooweerup Pioneers' Association, through Mr G. Clowser, Chief Clerk of the Public Works Department (21). The town of Catani developed around the railway station.
We have another indication of the respect that George had for his colleague, Carlo Catani, as at the annual banquet of the Pioneers' Associatlon at Iona an enlarged framed photograph of the late Mr. Catani was presented to the hall committee by Mr. G. Clowser, secretary for public work (22). I have written more about this photograph here.
The photograph of Carlo Catani which George Clowser presented
to the Iona Hall Committee.
My original photo of this portrait was enhanced by Paul Caine.
I have created a list of articles on the personal and professional life of George Clowser on Trove, access it here.
Footnotes
(1) South Bourke and Mornington Journal, August 5 1903, see here.
(2) Information is from his birth certificate and the Index to the Victorian Births, Deaths & marriages. George's sister Catherine married Stephen Stanford in 1885. She died in St Arnuad in 1918 aged 57.
(3) I am assuming that is where he grew up as in September 1921 he was expected to attend the Old Castlemaine Schoolboys' Association reunion, see Table Talk, September 22, 1921, here.
(4) The Herald, August 9, 1912, see here.
(5) The Herald, July 12, 1893, see here.
(6) The Advocate, August 30, 1902, see here.
(7) The report of the death of Mr Faviell comes from the Emerald Record, April 10, 1897, see here. A report of his inquest can be read in The Herald, April 5, 1897, see here.
(8) Morwell Advertiser, September 21, 1900, see here.
(9) Geelong Advertiser, June 8, 1908, see here.
(10) Carlisle's Hospice - opened by Ted and Mary Jane Carlile in December 1891. It was a full days hike from the Valley. Information from The Mount Buffalo story: 1898-1998 by Dan Webb & Bob Adams (Melbourne University Press, 1998)
(11) It is actually The Font - it is 3,050ft aloft; It is a well of water gushing out of the rock according to The Argus, November 23, 1889, see here.
(12) Geelong Advertiser, June 8, 1908, see here.
(13) The Argus, December 1, 1923, see here.
(14) South Bourke and Mornington Journal, August 5 1903, see here.
(15) Promotions are taken from reports in the following papers - Geelong Advertiser, September 22, 1908, see here; The Herald, August 9, 1912, see here; The Herald, April 27, 1918, see here; The Argus, October 7, 1920, see here. Details of his salary increase were in The Herald, October 7, 1920 see here; The Argus, August 10, 1921, see here.
(16) This is the uncropped photo of the Officers of the Public Works Department from Punch, June 20, 1912.
Officers of the Public Works Department. Photographer: Darge.
Punch, June 20, 1912. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/175618291/20484835#
(17) Marriage notice was in The Age October 6, 1888, see here. The following information about their children comes from the Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages -
Irene Alice born 1889, married John Albert Wiltshire in 1923 and died in 1980 at Koo Wee Rup, aged 90.
George Charles born 1892, married Kathleen Mary Reynolds in 1921 and he died in 1981 aged 88.
Ella Beatrice born 1894, married William Harold Robb in 1916 and she died 1986 aged 91.
(18) The Herald, July 25, 1916, see here.
(19) George's AIF Personnel dossier from the National Archives - https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3265861
(20) Their address comes from the Electoral Rolls on Ancestry; his death date comes from his death certificate and his death notice in The Argus, January 23, 1924, see here. His funeral notice was in The Age, January 24, 1924, see here. William Thwaites' funeral notice was in The Argus, November 21, 1907, see here. Alice Clowser's death notice was in The Argus, June 14, 1927, see here. She died after being involved in a bus fire - read report in The Argus, June 24, 1927, see here.
(21) Weekly Times March 6, 1920, see here.
(22) The Argus, December 1 1923, see here.
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