Robertson, William Hon.
Oxford University Boat Club (UK)
William was the son of the same named William Roberston (1798-1874), who was a prominent pastoralist and first settlor of Victoria. In a rowing section of the Robertson Family history, descendant Malcolm Robertson wrote:
The first Robertson to be in a position to participate in and enjoy rowing was “young” William, left, the second son of our pioneering William Robertson, both of whom I’ve written about before. As an early settler in Tasmania, young William’s father had taken the difficult decision in 1822 to leave his homeland in the Scottish Highlands and emigrate with his brother John to the farthest corner of the globe, Van Diemen’s Land. He was driven by the realities of life in Scotland in the early 1800s as much as by any sense of adventure. Prospects in Scotland for a young person were poor, education had been limited and rowing unheard of as a sport. Fishing in the River Spey, perhaps, but racing in specially-designed boats – never!
But William, and his wife Margaret, understood the value of education and were determined to make sure their children had the very best they could afford. Governesses were employed at home in Hobart to guide and educate the children when they were young, and to ensure, as the boys headed off to high school and university, the girls were not over-looked. The Grant sisters (Susan, Nell and Elizabeth from Leith in Scotland), who took on this work over many years, were regarded as much-loved family members and deserve an essay of their own.
Young William is recorded as attending the High School in Hobart but he also boarded at Christ’s College in Bishopsbourne, outside Launceston for two years. He had a short stint at Geelong Grammar School in 1855 before travelling to England, arriving in January 1856, to attend Oxford University to study the law. He attended Wadham College and was soon involved in the sport of rowing, competing in the college crews in 1859, 1860 and 1861 and being appointed captain of boats in 1860. The family archive contains a lot of William’s rowing memorabilia, including his oar from the winning Oxford crew of 1861. He was the first Australian to row for Oxford, and on that account alone has earned a place in Australian rowing history.
...Oxford won the race in 1861, having lost in 1860. Their winning time was 23 minutes 30 seconds and they won by a large margin of 16 lengths.
...Twenty-five years later history repeated itself with William’s two sons, William St Leonards (Willie) and John Ernest (Jack) Robertson attending Oxford and excelling at sports before embarking on careers in the military.
In a biography of William Roberston Senior, the Australian Dictionary of Biography contains the following information on our William Roberston Junior.
William, the second son, was born on 29 March 1839 and educated at the High School, Hobart, and Wadham College, Oxford (B.A., 1862) and in 1861 rowed in the winning crew against Cambridge. In 1863 he was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple, before returning to Melbourne where he was admitted to the Victorian Bar in 1864 and practised until 1876. On 24 April 1863 at Tunbridge Wells, he had married Martha Mary Murphy of Melbourne, by whom he had two sons and three daughters.
In 1871-74 William held the seat of Polwarth and South Grenville in the Legislative Assembly. In 1876-77 he visited Europe and North America. He won the seat again in 1880 and supported the Service reform bill but lost at the July elections; he held the seat in 1881-86. In 1886 he was elected to the Legislative Council for South Western Province but took little part in debates. He had leave of absence from August 1887 and retired by rotation next year.
William was a Colac Shire councillor from 1877 and president in 1880-81. An active supporter of the Colac Agricultural Society, he was a promoter of the 1879 Colac Regatta and its first president. A staunch Presbyterian, he supported the Colac Presbyterian Church and also other denominations. He inherited the splendid stone mansion, The Hill, where he lived the life of a 'hospitable and sport-loving country gentleman'. He died in an operation for cancer of the throat on 23 June 1892, leaving an estate worth £50,000.
1861 Oxford Crew with William standing on the left hand side
From the Malcolm Robertson collection
Key Rowing Highlights
1861 - The Boat Race, four seat for Oxford University - First
1879 - First President of the Colac Rowing Club and promoter of their regatta
Compiled by Andrew Guerin
August 2023 (updated May 2025)
Sources:
- J. Ann Hone, 'Robertson, William (1798–1874)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/robertson-william-4491/text7339, published first in hardcopy 1976, accessed online 18 August 2023.
- The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race by Christopher Dodd, published by Stanley Paul & Co, 1983
- The Rowing Robertsons by Malcolm Robertson, unpublished, April 2025