McPHERSON, Alfred William Glenelg (1877-1963)

Alfred William Glenelg McPherson, real estate valuer, attended the College as a boarder from 1891 to 1896. The son of Alfred William McPherson and Jessie Hervey nee Alston, he was born at Casterton in Victoria but spent many of his early years growing up on Hunthawang Station near Hillston in NSW. Known as 'Glen' 'he graduated from the School of Mines, Ballarat, as Mines Manager, and shortly after served with the Australian Forces in South Africa. His is one of the names on the Anglo-Boer Memorial in the Senior School Dining Hall. After a time on the land in partnership with his father, he became a Federal Land Tax Valuer. Mr McPherson later entered into the real estate business in Foster, Gippsland, and then became in the latter years of his life an independent valuer.


His athletic prowess was displayed at the College as an outstanding footballer, tennis player and rifle shot'. He played in the 1st Footballl Team from 1894 to 1896 and the 1st Cricket XI in 1896. In the 1895 School Sports he and Edward Greeves (Father of 'Carji' Greeves)ran second in the Manx Race with Glen coming 3rd in the 100yds handicap. That year he played in the 1st Football Team being noted in the Annual Report as 'plays forward; good kick; fair mark'. By 1896, he was a member of the Cricket, football, tennis and boating committees, played in the 2nd Football Team that year and creditably playing in the College Tennis tournament to the third round where he was defeated by the eventual champion, D Braham. 'Glen' was also a lieutenant in the College Cadet Corps. He passed the Melbourne University matriculation examination in 1896. He also played for the Geelong Football Club.

Pegasus Dec 1963. Annual Reports of the Geelong College, 1895; 1896; and 1897.