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OBITUARY. Mr. William Henry Mills. The death occurred recently of Mr. William Henry Mills, of Trafal- gar, at the age of 83 years. Born at Port Fairy in 1848, the late Mr. Mills saw much of that town in its early stages of development, and some thirty years later went to Gippsland and settled in the Thorp- dale South district. Later again the reclamation of the Moe Swamp area opened the way to settlement of this fertile area, and Mr. Mills num- bered among the first purchasers of these blocks, where he made his fut- ure and last home. The name of Mills .is closely associated with early Victorian history. The father of the late Mr. Mills settled in Victoria in 1826, and was one of the discover- ers of Portland harbor. This was two years before the Hentys settled in the district and began to follow whaling pursuits, for which they be- came famed. The grandfather of Mr. Mills was a naval officer, and of- ficiated as secretary to Captain Blyth, the then Governor of Victor- ia. His grand-mother is stated to have been the first white baby girl born in Victoria, a somewhat unique distinction, while his mother saw and chatted to Buckley, the wild white man, whose name is prominently as- sociated with early day records of Victorian history. Although quite   young at the time, she also distinct- ly recollects the departure of Bat- man's first expedition which sailed up the Yarra in the year 1835, and founded the settlement where Mel- bourne now stands. Settlers in those early days jealously safe- guarded their rights, and the rela- tions between the Mills and Henty groups were not exactly friendly. An unrecorded piece of ancient his- tory reveals that the Hentys, fearing interference from the Mills settlers mounted a cannon in a commanding position for use in case of aggres- sion. On one historical occasion, the gun was manned and trained when an armed party was seen approach- ing, but when some menmbers of this party approached under a flag of truce, it was found to be Major Mit- chell on his overland journey of ex- ploration. The late Mr. Mills whose wife predeceased him several years ago, leaves a grown up family of seven sons and daughters (includ- in one deceased). They are William, Charles, Freda, Arnie (de- ceased), Olive, Eileen, Eva and Charles. The remains of this high- ly respected and grand old pioneer were laid to rest int the Trafalgar cemetery.

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