John (Jack) Murray was born on 8 July 1851 at Koroit.
His parents had migrated from Scotland in 1839. His family farmed at Koroit, where Jack was born, then took up Glenample station near Port Campbell. Jack attended Allansford National School and, eventually from 1868, Warrnambool Grammar School on the Hopkins River.
Jack Murray visited Britain when about 20 and witnessed horrific poverty.
He returned to the family property near Allansford and became a well-to-do grazier.
In 1883, Jack stood unsuccessfully for Warrnambool in the Legislative Assembly. On the death of the incumbent, Jack Murray stood again and won the by-election and remained undefeated for thirty-two years, becoming 'Father of the House'. He had cobbled together support from radicals, trade unionists, Catholics and members of the indigenous community, and soon proved himself as an efficient local member by his part in gaining the railway extension from Camperdown to Warrnambool.
Jack held many public positions including chief secretary, president of the Board of Works, commissioner of Crown lands and survey.
Jack Murray became Premier of Victoria 8th January 1909 to 18th May 1912.
Due to ill health, Jack Murray passed the premiership to W. A. Watt but retained his portfolios.
One unorthodox cause Murray continued to maintain was his defence of Aborigines, especially those at Framlingham near Warrnambool, many of whom he knew personally. In 1890 he saved part of Framlingham Reserve in the face of governmental attempts to disperse the Aborigines. As chief secretary in 1902-04 and from 1909 he was formal chairman of the Board for the Protection of the Aborigines and, like none of his predecessors, took his duties seriously. He repeatedly intervened, legislated in 1910 to require the unwilling board to assist people born of two cultures, and eventually in 1913-14 attended all board meetings, then did not convene it but administered directly.
Murray was allied with his two sisters, especially Mary who nurtured the Framlingham community for decades as well as generally working for the local poor.
Jack Murray had hundreds of friends and by all accounts stuck to them. He had keen interests in racing, especially trotting, and cricket and was a trustee of the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
On 4 May 1916 Murray's horse bolted in a Warrnambool street; he pulled him up but when he stepped down from the saddle, Jack fell over dead. He was buried with Presbyterian forms after a state funeral attended by close on 2000 people including Aborigines from Framlingham; the procession was nearly two miles (3.2 km) long.
A portrait is held by the Warrnambool Public Library.
Jack’s grave, along with members of his family, is located in the old section of the Warrnambool cemetery. Anyone wishing to visit the grave to see the restoration work is welcome to do so, just see Brian for direction to the grave site.
For more details of John (Jack) Murray, please go to the links shown below.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Murray_(Victorian_politician)
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