Peter Hedrick (1834 - 1896)

Born 29 Aug 1834 in Dunblane, Perthshire, Scotland

Husband of Arabella Down (Selleck) Hedrick — married 1864 in Victoria, Australia

Descendants

Died 29 Sep 1896 at age 62 in Buninyong, Victoria, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Tracey Hedrick [send private message]

Biography

Peter Headrick born 29 August 1834 at Longford, Dunblane,baptized 6 October at Dunblane, seventh child of John Headrick of Bittergask, farmer, and Ann Thomson. Elder brother John and his wife emigrated to Australia in 1852, and opened a business there, probably a general store. Peter Hederick, 19, grocer was a passenger eighteen months later on 'Lightning' leaving Liverpool on 13 May 1854. He workd with his brother in Geelong , then went to manage a branch at Ballarat, and from 1856 ran the brother's new store at Buninyong, which he purchased in 1858. Peter "was a native of the parish of Dunblane, Perthshire, Scotland, and he came to this colony in the year 1854 in the ill-fated ship "Lightning"; which was afterwards burned to the water's edge in Geelong Bay. He first settled at Geelong and was engaged in business there with his elder brother, who arrived in the colony some 16 months before him, for about two years. He then proceeded to Ballarat where he managed his brother's business for a short time. He came to Buninyong in 1856 and in 1858 purchased his brother's business here, which he has carried on ever since. In 1857, when the first Road Board was constituted in Buninyong, Mr Hedrick was chosen as chairman, and in 1859 when Buninyong was constituted a borough he was again chosen as chairman of the six councillors appointed. The town was declared a municipality under the present Act, in 1865, and a council of nine was elected, Mr Hedrick being the first mayor. Since that time he has remained a councillor, up to the time of his death. During his association with the council Mr Hedrick was thrice elected mayor of the borough, and as evidence of the deep interest he took in municipal affairs it may be mentioned that he was absent from the meetings for about six times only during that period of 39 years." [Ballarat Courier, 30 September 1896] Known as "The Father of Buninyong", not only was he a councillor, mayor and stoekeeper, but also a member of almost every organization in the district. In many of these bodies he filled the position of president or secretary. In the year of his death, Peter had been elected chairman of the Ballarat Mining Board. [Ballarat Courier, 31 Aug 1983]

He was made chairman of Buninyong when it was made a borough, and then the first Mayor.^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ Obituary, Geelong Advertiser (Vic.), Thursday 1 October 1896

• Death, Digger Victorian Federation index CDROM (F= John, M= Anne Thompson)

Ballarat Courier, 31 Aug 1983. Research by Peter James Hedrick, 1984, unpublished mss.