Obituaries Australia

William Padbury, n.d.

from Pastoral Review and Graziers' Record, 16 November 1951

Mr. William Padbury, one of Western Australia's leading business men and stock breeders, died in Perth on 9th October at the age of 84.

Born in Charlbury, Oxfordshire, England, in August 1867, he started his business training at the age of 13. Twelve years later he went to Western Australia with his father to join his uncle, Mr. Walter Padbury, and commenced work in the Colonial Stores at Guildford, in which his uncle had an interest. Two years later he bought the business, and opened branches of it at several country centres. In 1907 he took over the Peerless Flour Mill, the largest and most modern mill in the State, which had been bequeathed to him by his uncle, and became the State's most prominent flour miller.

Mr. Padbury was a member of the Perth Chamber of Commerce for almost 50 years, and a member and one-time president of the Chamber of Manufactures. Since 1905 he had been a member of the Grain Committee which has fixed the f.a.q. wheat standard from that date, and officiated as senior weight-master of the committee as recently as last year.

Although primarily a business man, Mr. Padbury was keenly interested in stock breeding of all kinds, and owned and exhibited ponies, beef cattle, dairy cattle, sheep, pigs, geese, pigeons and peacocks. He imported Jersey cattle from Jersey, Guernseys from New South Wales and Victoria, and English Leicester sheep and Berkshire pigs from England. On eight occasions he won the coveted Governor's Cup at the Perth Royal Show, and was runner-up three times. For over 50 years he was a member of the Royal Agricultural Society's council.

Mr. Padbury is survived by his widow, one son and three daughters.