LAIDLAW, Charles Sutherland (1928-2014)
LAIDLAW, Charles Sutherland (1928-2014)
Charles Sutherland Laidlaw, grazier, became a long serving Geelong College Council Member from 1974-1985 during a critical period when the School introduced co-education. He and his family had moved from the Wilaura district to the property ‘Gnarpurt’ near Lismore during the mid-1960s.
His community involvement grew from this time and ‘Charlie’ became a committee member of Lions, an Elder of the Lismore Presbyterian Church and the Ballarat Presbytery alternate elder to the Victorian General Assembly. For 50 years he was a member of the Rural Fire Brigade becoming both Captain of the Lismore Brigade and later Group Officer. Chairman of the fundraising committee for the Lismore Community Centre, he gained recognition as the Shire of Hampden’s 'Citizen of the Year’ in 1991.
The 'Stuart Laidlaw Memorial Pool' at the Middle School was donated by ‘Charlie’ and Pat Laidlaw as a memorial to their son, Stuart Laidlaw, who was killed in a road accident in 1970.
‘Charlie’, the son of Adam Laidlaw and his wife Jean Sutherland was born on 13 April 1928. He grew up on his parent’s farm, ‘Parrie Yalloak’, attended Ararat High School and became a boarder at College from 12 February 1942 to August 1944. His brother, Kenneth Sutherland Laidlaw (1930-1995), also attended College. ‘Charlie’ died on 27 May 2014.
Charles Sutherland Laidlaw, grazier, became a long serving Geelong College Council Member from 1974-1985 during a critical period when the School introduced co-education. He and his family had moved from the Wilaura district to the property ‘Gnarpurt’ near Lismore during the mid-1960s.
His community involvement grew from this time and ‘Charlie’ became a committee member of Lions, an Elder of the Lismore Presbyterian Church and the Ballarat Presbytery alternate elder to the Victorian General Assembly. For 50 years he was a member of the Rural Fire Brigade becoming both Captain of the Lismore Brigade and later Group Officer. Chairman of the fundraising committee for the Lismore Community Centre, he gained recognition as the Shire of Hampden’s 'Citizen of the Year’ in 1991.
The 'Stuart Laidlaw Memorial Pool' at the Middle School was donated by ‘Charlie’ and Pat Laidlaw as a memorial to their son, Stuart Laidlaw, who was killed in a road accident in 1970.
‘Charlie’, the son of Adam Laidlaw and his wife Jean Sutherland was born on 13 April 1928. He grew up on his parent’s farm, ‘Parrie Yalloak’, attended Ararat High School and became a boarder at College from 12 February 1942 to August 1944. His brother, Kenneth Sutherland Laidlaw (1930-1995), also attended College. ‘Charlie’ died on 27 May 2014.
Source
Ad Astra July, 1996 p19; Geelong Advertiser 3 June 2014. OGC 1941.