Henry "Money" Miller

On 11 Nov 1834 when Henry was 24, he married Eliza MATTINSON, daughter of Captain William  & Rebecca MATTINSON, in St David's, Hobart Tasmania. Born about 1815. Eliza died on 5 May 1892, she was 77.

In 1839 he resigned his post in the Tasmanian Audit Office and moved to the new settlement at Port Phillip. He established himself as an agent, financier and merchant. In 1849 he founded the Victorian Fire and Marine Insurance Co. In 1850 he started the first of many building societies. Later he was a founder and chairman of the Bank of Victoria and also founder the Victorian Life and General Life Assurance Company. He was well positioned to gain from the Victorian gold rush of the 1850s.

He entered politics, serving as Mayor of Richmond and later as a member of the Victorian Legislative Council. He was Melbourne's most successful businessman, landowner, insurance agent, banker, and politician.  A brilliant investor he amassed city properties and pastoral holdings. He became Melbourne's richest man and earned the nickname "Money Miller". He was seen as a reticent man, dedicated to making money. His estate was valued for probate at 163,817 pounds in New South Wales and  1,456,680 pounds in Victoria.

Henry Miller first lived in Richmond somewhere near the Town Hall. In he 1871 moved  to "Findon" in Kew. Now long gone the location is reflected in street names in the Kew area. Findon had been owned by Stephen Henty, famous for the early settlement at Portland, Victoria and later a member of the Legislative Council. The property had been mortgaged to Henry Miller and later conveyed to him. 

Among his many properties was Mill Park in the Morang Parish just north of Melbourne, (now a suburb of that name). It comprised of 3200 acres. In included a grand main residence with dairy, shearing sheds, carpenter's and butcher's shops. Henry and more particularly is sons Albert, Septimus and Herbert were keen on horse racing and thus property included facilities for training and breeding. One of their horses "Redleap" won the Grand Nation Hurdle in 1889 and both the Grand Nation Hurdle and the Australian Steeplechase in 1890. A grand red brick stable was build on the property in 1890s and remains in use today as part of a shopping mall. All other signs have disappeared beneath the urban sprawl . 

Fox hunting was also a passion of the Miller family. The Findon Harriers Hunt Club was established at  Mill Park. Members kept their hounds on the property and fox hunts became gala events. A train brought people from Melbourne to a station on the Mill Park Estate. In 1930 Albert Miller was fatally injured when his horse failed to clear an obstacle in the chase. Several years later the property was sold.

A grandson, Everard Studley Miller, made a significant bequest of artworks to the  National Gallery of Victoria

Subsequent generations did not reproduce Henry's midas touch.
For more detail see the
Australian Dictionary of Biography
History of Kew
Bundoora : Part of Marvellous Melbourne

Whilst they were in Melbourne, Gerald's business manager sold the business and ran away with the money.  That was one of the 1st of his business ventures that ran into strife. I believe he was also responsible for getting the growers together in SPC in Shepparton.  He was a great visionary without a lot of business sense! 

Gerald and Ada had 4 children - Kathleen, Derwood, Allan and the other name escapes me at the moment.  I will check up on those names and get you other details if you would like.  My grandfather grew up in Victoria and attended Caulfield Grammar (he even had the family nanny, Mary - I think, look after him as a child). .....

Stop Press May 2007

.....He was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1868, campaigning as a reformer of the controversial land laws and of the Legislative Council. He was Solicitor-General in the McCulloch ministry in 1870-71. In 1872 he married a wealthy widow, Charlotte Anderson, and in 1877 he did not stand for election. In 1880, however, he stood  successfully for the seat of Portland and held it until his resignation in 1894. During his period in the Legislative  Assembly Wrixon was Attorney-General from 1886 to 1890 and a delegate to the Federal Convention in 1891, and was narrowly defeated by Thomas Bent for the Speakership. He was knighted in 1892....... 

... extract from Victorian Parliment Web Site

ARTHUR HENRY WRIXON, Lieutenant 
13th attd. 11th Bn., Suffolk Regiment 
who died on Friday, 2nd June 1916. Age 39. 

Son of Sir Henry Wrixon, of Melbourne, Australia. 
BECOURT MILITARY CEMETERY, BECORDEL-BECOURT, Somme, 
France; Grave Reference: I. N. 23. 

I am researching the life of one of Wrixon's friends, Lt Robert Quilter Gilson, as part of a planned book on the author J R R Tolkien, who was at school with Gilson and was profoundly affected by his death. Any  information which would lead me to a fuller picture of what kind of a  man Gilson was, and what his war experiences were, would be tremendously valuable to me. 

Possibly Wrixon left papers or family traditions which might mention Gilson. I wonder if you can help me shed any light on the matter.

I should add that I only know of Wrixon's association with Gilson (and  two others: Herbert William "Billy" Disbrey and Atholl Archibald McLean, both also of the 11th Suffolks and victims of the opening of the Somme)  through a commemorative message left by relatives of Disbrey's in the  cemetery memorial book last year. I have not yet contacted them, but  plan to do so very shortly. If I discover anything about Wrixon, would  you like me to keep you informed? 
------------------------
Dear Peter

We corresponded briefly in 1999 about your relative Arthur Wrixon, who died fighting in the 11th Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment (the Cambridgeshire Battalion) in 1916. You may recall that I was inquiring as part of my research into the First World War experiences of JRR Tolkien, who had a close friend in the same battalion. In recent researches some further information has come to light about Arthur Wrixon, and I thought you  might like to hear it.

This is from an unpublished letter home written by Robert Quilter Gilson, one of Arthur's fellow subalterns in the battalion, on 9 June 1916:

"Wrixon's death has now appeared in the Casualty List. I wonder if I ever spoke of him. He was a brother-in-law of Major (now Colonel) Stanley and the one 'old' subaltern among us: an Australian of about 40 ‹ a quaint  fussy motherly person, but rather an old dear, and we were all fond of him  and the men loved him. We left him behind at Cambridge but he joined us here about 2 months ago from the Reserve Battalion. He was killed outright by a  shell."

(Gilson's relatives kindly gave me permission to send you this information from their family papers.)

I hope that this is of interest to you, and that you will share it with any members of your family who may also be interested.

Best wishes,  John Garth

He was a keen aviator and before the war, together with Eddie Connellan (also from Xavier) he started Connellan Airways in Alice Springs.  Apart from their personal labours, Dad was able to provide significant funds for this startup.   At commencement of the war, the government wanted the airline to continue; so Eddie remained but Dad joined the RAAF and flew Catalinas in 11 and 43 Squadrons.  He was awarded a DFC when he managed to get his Catalina and crew back from a bombing mission after flying for more that ten hours on one engine (the other having been taken out by Japanese ak ak). 

After the war he returned to Connellan Airways.  To expand operations, twin engined aircraft with good short strip performance were required.  Dad took some war surplus Ansons from Melbourne to London and ultimately traded them for two  DeHavilland Dragon Rapides.  While he was in London, he met and married my  mother; who then accompanied him in a Rapide to Alice Springs  (population~500). 

Dad continued to fly for Connellan Airways but also was involved in the pastoral industry.  He took up a virgin pastoral lease called Argadargada around 1950 with Sam Calder and Milton Willick.  They lost a lot of money trying to control Gidgea poison problems.  In 1956 he formed a partnership with Pat Davis in Hamilton Downs which was more successful.  Hamilton Downs  was closer to Alice Springs and was thought to be a good example for the Queen and Prince Phillip to visit in 1964.  I remember that they had to get an inside toilet installed for this occasion!  The partnership was ultimately split and Hamilton Downs remains in my mother's name to this  day.