Windley: an unfortunate name

Two men, in different parts of Australia with only two things in common. Firstly, they both had the same name - George Windley - and secondly, they both died in tragic circumstances.

Our first George Windley was a young lad, aged 16 years old and a worker at Zevenboom & Co, a brush manufacturer based in Melbourne. By all accounts he was a good worker. George's birth certificate has no father named which may indicate his mother was on her own. George lived with his mother in the formative years of his life but at 10 years old she put him in the Gordon Institute, a remand school for boys, as he wouldn't go to school. He was then passed from family member to family member.

On the night of April 28, 1929, Windley and a few friends were gathered, playing euchre, however, he was not in a social mood. He was seen writing in a small black notebook which he didn't share with his companions.

Zevenboom & Co brush manufacturers. Courtesy The History of the Old Lost Western Suburbs of Melbourne Facebook page.

This same notebook was found next to George's body a few days later in a car, parked in a private garage in Pascoe Vale. In it was written:

George Windley, the lost dog. Kicked out everywhere I went. Life is not worth living, so I fade off this way. I, George Windley. Goodbye, God bless everybody.

A post-mortem revealed he had swallowed poison and the state of his dead body confirmed it. He was eventually buried in Fawkner Memorial Park.

Our second George Windley was a Queensland boundary rider in his fifties. He was working at Brighton Downs, just north of the Diamantina National Park, when he suddenly went missing in April 1941. An extensive search for the next 10 weeks was undertaken unsuccessfully at the time.

Fast forward to November 1942 when trapper Cecil Rhodes came across a skeleton at Dispute Creek, only three miles from the Cawnpore-Brighton Downs boundary. The remains were sent to Winton for inspection and it was believed they were of the unfortunate boundary rider, George Windley. It appeared that he had pitched his tent for the night as his body was found in his bed. It seemed that he died in his sleep and there were no suspicious circumstances.

Winton cemetery. Photo Kym Warner.

He was buried in Winton cemetery.

References

• 'Pascoe Vale Tragedy', The Age, Saturday 4 May, 1929, Page 20.

• 'George Windley, birth', Births, Deaths, Marriages Victoria, accessed 10th August, 2026, bdm.vic.gov.au

• 'George Windley, the lost dog', The Advertiser, Saturday 18th May, 1929, Page 13

• 'Skeleton Found', The Morning Bulletin, Saturday 21st November, 1942, Page 3

• 'Winton', The Longreach Leader, Saturday, 21st November, 1942, Page 12

• 'Gordon Institute', Victorian Government, accessed 10th August, 2026, Gordon Institute | vic.gov.au