William Lax-Willcox was a well-known and very popular pastoralist in New South Wales, and was in the prime of life (fifty-two years) when he died. He was born in England, and came out to Australia many years ago. On his arrival he went in for pastoral pursuits, and became connected by marriage with the Edols family, of Burrawang, Forbes. In addition to assisting in the management of Burrawang, he had interests for some time in other properties in the same district. Later on he purchased Beanbah and Bundi Stations in the Coonamble district, comprising about 30,000 acres, and made his home at the former place. Here he went in largely for breeding crossbred sheep and raising fat lambs, in which he was very successful, many of his draughts topping the Sydney market.
Amongst other positions in connection with pastoral interests, the late Captain Willcox was a director of Winchombe, Carson Limited. In the purely volunteer days in New South Wales, he took a keen interest in the training of the militia, in which he earned the rank of captain when about twenty-six years of age. He married Miss Edols, who, however, died five or six years later. There were two children—a son, Charles Lax-Willcox, and a daughter. The latter died suddenly about eighteen months ago from haemorrhage of the brain when on a visit to Coonamble.
The news of Captain Willcox's death, which occurred in New Zealand last month, after an operation for appendicitis, came as a great shock to his many friends. He had left Sydney only about three weeks before, and had gone to the Dominion for the season's trout fishing. He was a cheery and jolly companion, and will be much missed, particularly at his favourite haunt, the Warrigal Club, Sydney.
'Lax-Willcox, William (1863–1914)', Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/lax-willcox-william-586/text587, accessed 11 November 2024.
from Pastoral Review, 16 January 1915
19 December,
1914
(aged ~ 51)
New Zealand
Includes subject's nationality; their parents' nationality; the countries in which they spent a significant part of their childhood, and their self-identity.