Francis Ormond

Overview

Francis Ormond was a Scottish-born pastoralist, a member of Parliament of Victoria, Australia, and a great philanthropist in the areas of education and religion. He used his wealth to benefit others. As a young man, he managed his father's sheep station near Piggoreet, southwest of Ballarat. Upon discovering that the majority of station hands he employed were uneducated, Ormond started a class for his employees, devoting nearly every evening to their tutorage. This was the pattern of Francis Ormond's life. Where he saw a need, he took practical steps to help. As a devout Presbyterian and elder of the church, when the question of establishing a Presbyterian college at the University of Melbourne was raised in 1877, he pledged 10,000 pounds to the appeal. When a Working Men's College was proposed, he offered 5000 pounds towards its establishment. The college opened in 1887 with 320 students. By 1938, the number of students was 10,000. His attempts to found a college of music in Melbourne were unsuccessful, so he gave 20,000 pounds to found the Ormond Chair of Music at the University of Melbourne. This is the story of his life and times, rounding out the picture of the man whose generosity benefitted the lives of so many. *** Librarians: ebook available on ProQuest and EBSCO [Subject: Biography, Australian Studies]