WETTENHALL, Milton Burgess (1872-1954)

Modified on Tue, 19 Jul 2016 10:21 by Con — Categorized as: Biography - All, Biography - Students, Geelong College

WETTENHALL, Milton Burgess (1872-1954)

Milton Burgess Wettenhall, orchardist, mining assayer and grazier, was born on 23 May 1872 at Carr’s Plains, Glenorchy and was enrolled at the Geelong College on 20 October 1885 where he was a boarder until 1890. He was the son of parents, Holford Highlord Wettenhall (1840-1920) and Mary Burgess nee Dennis (1846-1917) who married on 21 November 1866.

He was a Councillor and Shire President of the Shire of Mornington and President of the Flinders and Camperdown Country Party branches as well as the Flinders Race Club. He had owned properties in Victoria - 'Bretton', Glenorchy; 'Clondrisse', Flinders and 'Miranee' at Camperdown.

Trial Fours Award Mug, 1889
won by M Wettenhall.

At College, Milton Burgess Wettenhall was a member of the 1st Cricket XI of 1890. He participated in the College rowing regatta of 1889 and a silver mug awarded to him as a member of the Trial Fours, donated by Greg and Liz Hansen in 2016, is held in the College Heritage Collection. The Annual Report of 1889 described this event: 'In March, Dr Salmon, of Ballarat presented the club with £5 to provide trophies for Scratch Fours, and for these six crews competed. After some excellent races, the trophies were won by R Reid, H Waugh, M and A Wettenhall.' The College Boat Club had only been established the previous year and this may very likely have been the first formal rowing competition.

Milton Wettenhall was also awarded the following academic prizes:
1886 1st, Euclid, 4th Class Upper Division.
1889 2nd, Euclid, University Class.

In 1888, at the College Sports, he ran 3rd in the Ladies Trophy. The following year 1889 at the College Athletic Sports, he won the Ladies Trophy (440 yds open) and ran 1st in the Mile (Open). The 1890 Annual Report, in describing the College cricketers, noted that M Wettenhall who 'left at midwinter' was a 'very steady bat; fair field.'

He married on 27 April 1904 at All Saints Church, East St Kilda to Amy Florence Trew elder daughter of John Sarle Trew, bank manager, of St Kilda, and formerly of Stawell. She had been born on 5 July 1877 in Stawell and died at Camperdown on 29 March 1954.

Milton Burgess Wettenhall's brothers, Herbert Highlord Wettenhall (1868-1948), Arthur Vincent Wettenhall (1869-1949), Alan Holford Wettenhall (1873-1957), Marcus Edwy Wettenhall (1876-1951), Alexander Llewellyn Wettenhall (1878-1960), and Roland Ravenscroft Wettenhall (1882-1965) were all educated at Geelong College.

Sources: Award Cup Donor - Greg and Liz Hansen.