William Onus was registered as William Hibbs on his birth certificate. Only his mother's name — Martha Hibbs — was provided. He gave his name as 'William Townsend Onus' when he married Mary Nelson on 17 September 1900 at Echuca, Victoria, and gave his father's name as Joseph Onus.
It has been suggested that Joseph Onus (1818-1895) was his first employer and trained him to be a drover; William took his surname, as was often customary practice, when he reached adulthood.
Pastoralist, William Hibbs (1833-1917), who lived in the Wollombi area, has also been named as a possible father.
'Onus, William Townsend (1868–1937)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/onus-william-townsend-29982/text37165, accessed 1 September 2024.
27 August,
1868
Wollombi,
New South Wales,
Australia
12 October,
1937
(aged 69)
Lidcombe, Sydney,
New South Wales,
Australia
Includes subject's nationality; their parents' nationality; the countries in which they spent a significant part of their childhood, and their self-identity.