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by Edward (Ted) Stephens (Author)
Francis Ormond, a great Victorian philanthropist, was fired by his passion to bring education to the masses. Not having children, he contributed millions of pounds to educational buildings and institutions.
Francis Ormond travelled from Scotland to Shelford near Geelong in 1843 with his father Captain Francis Ormond, mother Isabella, and her tiny baby Alfred. There they built a hotel on the road to the Western District. They were the only people making money during a rural depression and took over several large grazing runs, including thousands of sheep.
Later, Francis married his childhood sweetheart Mary Greeves, and they moved to Borriyalloak near Skipton. Appalled at their workers' lack of education, they taught them themselves in the evenings. In 1853, when gold was discovered, thousands of immigrants needed food, so Francis' future was assured.
Francis built Ormond College, a residence for country students to gain an education. Then, to enable them to obtain a technical education, he built RMIT. He also established the Conservatorium of Music. From this beginning, we now have the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
In Geelong, Francis contributed the first money towards the Gordon Institute, and he was Chieftain of the Commun Na Fienne Society until his death. He contributed to the establishment of many rural secondary schools and gave a great amount of money to finish building St Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne as a memorial to his first wife, who was an Anglican.
He died in France in 1888, and his second wife Mary Oliphant brought him back to probably the largest funeral ever to pass along Ormond Road to the cemetery in Geelong.
