EARLY SETTLEMENT - GEORGE HENRY COX, son of George Cox of Burrundulla and Mulgoa, cont.P.25

George Henry Cox leased the river flats to tenants. This old tenant house still stands today. It belonged to the livery and stable hand, Clive McDonald, who share farmed Burrundulla for 47 years.  Clive also worked at the Pop Corn Factory where Ogdens bus depot is now

GEORGE HENRY COX, son of George Cox of Burrundulla and Mulgoa cont.

George Henry Cox entered politics at 32 as a member for Wellington (County) in the first Legislative Assembly. He was returned unopposed in 1858, but moved to the Legislative Council in 1863 where he served until his death, whereby he was its longest standing member.
 
George Henry always voted by his conscience, irrespective of peer or party politics, believing in free trade and abolition of state aid to religion and church schools, loudly proclaiming the benefits of public education, having a model public school at Burrundulla for his tenants’ children.
 
In 1856 George Henry Cox lobbied for the extension of agriculture and small-scale farming and the opening of public land to private settlement. He also strongly supported the farmers’ and settlers’ associations.
 
As a member of parliament, George Henry Cox supported Sir Alfred Stephen’s divorce extension bill, he did a report for the Royal Commission into tanks and wells, drawing on his own observations of artesian water supplies in North America. He did, however, fail to reach the senate of the first Commonwealth Parliament, mainly because of his individual stand and adherence to his own beliefs rather than being a party supporter.

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An old dairy on the Burrundulla River Flats once leased out to tenants.