The Story of the Great Philanthropist Hon Francis Ormond and His Family

Francis Ormond travelled from Scotland to Shelford near Geelong in 1843 with his father Captain Francis Ormond, Mother Isabella and her tiny baby Alfred. There they built a hotel on the road to the Western District. They were the only people making money during a rural depression and they took over several large grazing runs including thousands of sheep.

Later Francis married his childhood sweetheart Mary Greeves and they moved to Borriyalloak near Skipton. Appalled at their workers lack of education, they taught them themselves in the evenings. In 1853 when Gold was discovered, thousands of immigrants needed food so Francis’ future was assured.

Francis built Ormond College, a residence for country students to gain an education. Then to enable them to obtain a technical education, he built RMIT. He established the Conservatorium of Music. From this beginning we now have the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

In Geelong Francis contributed the first money towards the Gordon Institute and he was Chieftain of the Commun Na Fienne Society until his death. He contributed to the establishment of many rural secondary schools. He gave a great amount of money to finish building St Pauls Cathedral in Melbourne as a memorial to his first wife who was an Anglican.

He died in France in 1888 and his second wife Mary Oliphant brought him back to probably the largest funeral ever to pass along Ormond road to the cemetery in Geelong.

He shocked his family by deciding to pursue his lady friend who had been deported to Australia for a minor misdemeanour.

After arriving in Melbourne, Robert immediately set off to Sydney to ask his girlfriend, Agnes, to marry him.

Robert’s brother, George, and his wife, Betsy, during his leave, and having fallen on hard times, had become interested in an offer to start a Post Office in Western Victoria.

So, they loaded their five children (including Ted’s future grandmother Margaret, at age six) on board three bullock drays and set off to find a survey peg 300 miles away on the Wimmera River marked as “A place to be called Horsham”.

Robert set up a foundry in Flinders Street in 1841 which thrived and Horsham grew around the Langlands store.

The rest, as you will discover in this book, is wonderful history…

“An authentic telling of real life in a part of our history not to be forgotten… A wonderfully written and engaging book…”
Dillon, Readalot Magazine reviewer