Roxburgh Securities - Guildford
Walter Padbury
As part of our continued growth, Roxburgh Securities is now located in a new office within the Padbury Building at 116 Terrace Rd, Guildford.
We are amongst four fine dining venues, including the Rose & Crown Hotel and Gold Plate Padbury’s Restaurant.
Catching-up with clients on special occasions over lunch or dinner is fun.
The Padbury Stores Building within historic Guildford village was built by Walter Padbury (1820-1907) in 1869.
One wonders about the conversations that have been had within its walls over the past 140-years.
The forgotten Walter Padbury was one of the state’s most imaginative and far-sighted entrepreneurs.
He was born at Stonesfield, Oxfordshire, on 22nd December 1820, and embarked for Western Australia with his father when only an 11-year old.
However, his father died soon after they reached Perth.
Orphaned and penniless, the young Padbury set about moulding his own life.
That meant take any work he could find, including builder’s labourer, servant, roustabout, barman, butcher, tallow-maker, shipper, even shepherd.
Within five years he was able to help pay for the passages of his family, including his mother, to Perth.
Padbury married 18-year-old Charlotte Nairn in April 1844.
Also in that year he and William Thorley Loton, launched W. Padbury & Co, meaning he embarked on a career as Perth and Guildford storekeeper, butcher and merchant.
By 1857 he’d acquired several pastoral stations, including “Yathroo” in Victoria Plains, north of Perth, and another at the De Grey River.
Padbury therefore set about opening up the wilderness; saw benefit in introducing modern machinery to the colony, and set about making Great Britain's newest and most distant colony economically self-sufficient and a producer for export.
But he and partners were forced to abandon the De Grey venture because of a shipping mishap and drawn-out slump in wool prices.
In 1865 he acquired the Bridgetown that traded profitably with India, Singapore and London.
He was instrumental in introducing steam power for maritime and rail transport into the colony.
Padbury was also instrumental in laying the basis for the telegraph line from Adelaide to Perth, a move to meant contact with the world.
In 1898 Padbury established the Peerless Roller flour-mill at Guildford, which was to prove to be a great benefit to local farmers.
He was to become the colony’s inaugural millionaire and also a philanthropist, giving generously especially to those seeking to improve their own lot.
Late in 1905, on learning of problems encountered by the Parkerville Children’s Home, Padbury hired a builder and erected a brick house to house up to 40 waifs.
Padbury was an elected member of the Legislative Council representing the Swan District from 1872 until 1878, and in 1887 he became Guildford’s first mayor.
Padbury died in Perth on the 18th April 1907, and was buried at East Perth Cemetery.
Since Padbury was without heirs, he opted to leave sizeable legacies to relatives and friends, the Church of England, including for the upkeep of St George’s Cathedral, hospitals, lunatic asylums and poor houses.