Henry Percival Douglass was born in London in 1859, the son of
Alfred Douglass, and travelled to Australia as an infant.
H.P. Douglass was associated with three institutions of
great influence in the social structure of Geelong, Australia.
They were in 1888 when he commenced his legal career in
partnership with Richard Robinson and remain so in 1999. They
are the newspaper, the Geelong Advertiser, the internationally
known public school, Geelong Grammar School and the sporting
body with the greatest local following, the Geelong Football
Club. Douglass resided in Geelong's most significant building, "Corio
Villa" an ornamental cast iron house on Eastern Beach described
by E. Graeme Robertson, the expert on such matters, as "the most
ornate and historically fascinating cast iron building in
Australia".
His brother F.M. Douglas became Managing
Director of the Geelong Advertiser when Henry relinquished his
interest.
He died in 1927 leaving a widow, Enid Mary, and four daughters, Mrs
Sampson, of Glasgow, Mrs Dowling, of Swan Hill, Mrs Chomley, of
Geelong, and Mrs Scott, of Edinburgh. Their son, Lt George
Douglass, died in 1918 as a result of wounds incurred in World
War I.
The presentation salver
Presented as a tribute to a cornerstone of Victorian-era society, this elegant silver salver features a central inscription that reads:
"Henry Percival Douglass. for twelve years Honorary
Secretary of the Geelong Club, as a mark of the esteem &
friendship of his fellow members. 8th AUGUST, 1900." This gift, presented at the turn of the century, honours a man whose influence spanned the legal, social, and sporting fabric of Geelong, Australia. While the salver specifically commemorates his decade-plus of dedicated service as the Honorary Secretary of the
Geelong Club - a prestigious private social institution established in 1859
- Douglass’s legacy is equally synonymous with the region's maritime history.
Henry Percival "Percy" Douglass was a formidable figure whose life mirrored the growth of Geelong itself. A respected solicitor by profession, he was also a champion athlete, having played in four premiership-winning teams for the
Geelong Football Club between 1878 and 1883. Beyond the social halls of the Geelong Club, he was a legendary competitive sailor and a life member of the Royal Geelong Yacht Club, where his memory is preserved today through the annual competition for the H.P. Douglass Memorial Shield. This salver serves as a tangible link to a "golden era" of Australian club life, marking the moment his peers chose to formalize their gratitude for his years of unpaid leadership and enduring friendship.
The crest with the broken spear on the salver has been linked to Thomas Douglas,
Baillie of Edinburgh in the mid-17th Century, a son of the
Douglases of Cavers
family in the Scottish Borders, but no firm
ancestral link to him has yet been established.
See also:
Corio Villa
Draft typewritten obituary
Any contributions will be
gratefully accepted
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