Walter George Scott (1824–1908)
This article was published:
- in the Biographical Register of the Australian Labour Movement, 1788-1975
- online in 2025
Scott, Walter George (1824-1908) selector, schoolteacher and trade union official
Birth: 22 March 1824 at Pontefract, west Yorkshire, England, son of John Scott (1775-?) and Winifred, née Dawson (1775-1833). Marriage: 1869 at Limerick, Ireland, to Margaret Mary Murphy (1853-1931), born in Limerick. They had five daughters and five sons. Death: 5 June 1908 at Young, New South Wales. Religion: Anglican.
- Arrived in New South Wales with his wife about 1876. Lived for some time at Lismore, then about 1878 went to the Young district, where he was employed on a property, probably at Calabash.
- He then “kept a small school at the Nine-mile, Marengo-road, in a pisé cottage, where he also resided with his wife and young family”. Later he selected land nearby, which with the assistance of a growing family, he improved and converted into a good property called Milroy.
- In 1886 Scott was the founding secretary of the Young branch of the Australian Shearers’ Union, (later Amalgamated Shearers' Union of Australasia). He was described as “straight and capable'” His home was used initially as the headquarters of the Young branch.
- Formed a branch of the Protection Union of NSW in December 1886.
- His obituary described him as “a quiet, amiable man, and much respected by his neighbours”.
- Cause of death: heart failure [Coroner’s report].
Sources
John Merritt, The Making of the AWU (Melbourne, 1986).
Additional Resources and Scholarship
- letter to the editor from Scott about the Shearers Union, Cootamundra Herald (NSW), 10 September 1887, p 5
Related Entries in NCB Sites
Citation details
'Scott, Walter George (1824–1908)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/scott-walter-george-34878/text43958, accessed 14 March 2025.
Life Summary [details]
Birth
22 March,
1824
London,
Middlesex,
England
Death
5 June,
1908
(aged 84)
Young,
New South Wales,
Australia
Cause of Death
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.