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George Moore Rouse (1848–1919)

Tho late Mr. George Moore Rouse of Mudgee, whose death on Thursday last was shortly reported in the 'Guardian' of that day, was 71 years of age and had lived in the Mudgee district practically all his life. Mr Rouse had been ill for some time. He was the son of the late Mr Georee Rouse of Biraganbil and Beaudesert. He was born at Jericho near Richmond and Windsor in 1848. Mr Rouse leaves a widow and four sons— Messers Harold, Neil, Raymond, and Geoffrey—and one daughter, Miss Elsie Rouse. Mr Rouse was one time a member of the licensing bench, a retired member of the Land Board, a justice of the peace and deputy coroner. The funeral took place on Friday, and his body was interred at St. John's Church of England, where the first part of the burial service was read, and later the interment was made in the Church of England portion of the general cemetery.

The late Mr Rouse's career was an honourable and interesting one. As already stated he was born in 1848, at Jericho in the Richmond District, and was educated at down country schools.

The Rouse family came to the Mudgee district in the late forties and early fifties. One member of the family (the deceased's late father) taking up Biraganbil and Beaudesert, while another Mr Rouse (father of the late Richard Rouse) secured the Guntawang property, on the other side of hte Cudgegong River. In his young days, and whilst only a school boy, the late Mr Rouse used frequently to ride from Jericho to Biraganbil and Beaudesert. His father, (Mr George Rouse) had, besides his Mudgee district properties, numerous stations in Queensland and the Warrumbungle Ranges, among them being Cobborn, Yarragrin, Kirbin, Gowang, and Wallamberawang. The deceased often visited these stations, the mountain ones being in charge of the late Edward Maguire, and Biraganbil was later managed by the late Richard Rouse, jnr., and  Beaudesert by the deceased. The Biraganbil estate had on it a fine flour mill, storees, &c., and of these commercial concerns the deceased had the supervision.

The late Mr. G.M. Rouse mostly resided at Biraganbil, and while there often visited the celebrated Two Mile Flat diggings, on which there (in the early seventies) thousand men, from all parts of Australia, were congregated mining. His reminiscence of the field, and the rough talent engaged thereon, were most interesting, and well worth listening to.

Shortly following the mining decline of Two Mile Flat the Gulgong mining field broke out, and in the venture on this field the deceased held a big interest. Some of his Gulgong specs. turned out to well whilst others were duller.

The deceased was a fine judge of stock, and used to do a lot of buying and selling for Beaudesert and his father's other stations. He was an enthusiastic sport, and an excellent judge of a horse, and his colours were regularly seen on the Western District and metropolitan courses, and also in Queensland, and up almost to the time of his fatal illness he was an enthusiastic member of the Bligh, and one of the committee, and when the club raced alternately in Mudgee and Merriwa he was a regular attendant and frequent nominator at its meetings. Mr. Rouse's interests in mining went beyond the district fields. He was with the late Mr. Beauchamp Stacey, the then manager of the Commercial Bank in Mudgee, a big speculator in Charters Towers, and other North Queensland mining shares, and both gentlemen met with a large success in these ventures, in the Brilliant and Victory and other Charters Towers mines being specially fortunate. Whilst successfully speculating in the North Queensland, Mr. Rouse continued his interest in and associations with Mudgee district mining. He was one of the original shareholders in the big mine at Windeyer, adjoining the celebrated Winters' Bros. Golden Lily claim. This unfortunately did not turn out well.

While only quite a young man, Mr Rouse took up country in Queensland, on the Diamantina, the other side of Cooper's Creek, and in connection with Mr E. M. Betts, like himself a great supporter of the Bligh Amateur Race Club and its honorary handicapper and now on of the A.J.C. committee, took up a station some hundred square miles in that country. Unfortunately this enterprise was not successful. Messers Rouse and Betts struck a big drought in which they lost thousands of stack and finally then sold the property at a loss to a large adjoining station holder.

Mr Rouse use to travel overland from Beaudesert to his Queensland propoerties, and his stories of his experiences on these long journeys were graphic and would make interesting reading.

Some years since Mr Rouse sold Beaudesert to Mr J. Murphy, and came to live in Mudgee. He was a most highly respected and popular citizen of the town and district. He was genial in his manners and kindly in his disposition, and his purse was always freely open to every good cause. He was independent, manly, straightforward, and singularly frank and outspoken. Mr Rouse was for many years until within a few years of his death, the Mudgee district representative of the good old wool broking firm of Harriosn, Jones and Devlin, for which he was to be expected, he did a fine business. Mr Rouse was when he died still owner of some valuable district properties, among them being a nice freehold of over two thousand acres on Reedy Creek, the other side of Gulgong, and through which the Mudgee-Gulgong-? railway runs.

Original publication

Citation details

'Rouse, George Moore (1848–1919)', Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/rouse-george-moore-20923/text31590, accessed 19 March 2024.

© Copyright Obituaries Australia, 2010-2024

Life Summary [details]

Birth

1848
Jericho, New South Wales, Australia

Death

27 March, 1919 (aged ~ 71)
Mudgee, New South Wales, Australia

Cultural Heritage

Includes subject's nationality; their parents' nationality; the countries in which they spent a significant part of their childhood, and their self-identity.

Religious Influence

Includes the religion in which subjects were raised, have chosen themselves, attendance at religious schools and/or religious funeral rites; Atheism and Agnosticism have been included.