Richard Charles Ridge (1813-1892)

Obituary
The Late Richard Ridge. At Manly, on Saturday last, Mr Richard Ridge, formerly of Windsor, succumbed to a brief illness. The funeral took place on Sunday, when a special train conveyed the remains from Sydney, arriving at Windsor station shortly after 8 o'clock. A large number of residents of Windsor, Richmond, and various other portions of the district were in waiting here, and the funeral cortege was a very long one. Messrs Primrose and Son were the undertakers, and carried out all arrangements satisfactorily. Amongst the mourners were : — Messrs Richard, Edward, Prosper (Mayor of Richmond), and Sidney Ridge (sons of the deceased), Messrs A. Jones and Wilkinson (sons-in-law), S. Jones, E. Ridge, Smith, and three sons of Mr E. Ridge's (grandchildren), Mr R. Henson, Mr. Richards (Hill, Clark, & Co.) and many others. The pallbearers were :—The Hon. W. Walker, M.L.C., Messrs R. Dick, J.P., J. Tebbutt, C. Hole, W. Gosper, J.P., and W. P. Linsley, J.P. The burial service was conducted by Rev G. D'Arcy-Irvine, who spoke a few impressive words, appropriate to the occasion, to the very large congregation assembled in St Matthew's. The remains were subsequently interred in the family vault.

The late Mr Ridge was well-known to most people in this district. He was born on the Hawkesbury. He came to Windsor somewhere about 50 years ago—a young married man—and commenced business in a very humble way as innkeeper, in premises at the corner of George and Kable Streets—now the site of the Commercial Bank. After a time he went into the coaching business, and ran a coach from, we believe, the Horse and Jockey Inn, between Windsor, Parramatta, and Sydney. The young couple were very industrious, and succeeded in business remarkably well, so that when the Dargin estate was sold, Mr Ridge was able to purchase the site of the existing Fitzroy Hotel—which building he erected. He carried on business in the Fitzroy for some years, when he had accumulated the wherewithal to purchase a large station on the Macquarie River, which he secured at a very low figure, and which has now become a very valuable property. Mr Ridge shortly afterwards retired from business, and purchased the Marsden Estate on South Creek, upon which he erected the residence known a " Trevallyn"—now the property of Mr W. H. Dean. Here he resided for several years, and here it was that his faithful partner in life died. It is only a few years ago since Mr Ridge disposed of this property to Mr W. H. Dean, and removed to Manly Beach, where he remained until the time of his peath. There are those in our midst who assert that had the old gentleman remained in Windsor amongst a host of boon campanions and cronies, instead of going away to live in the midst of strangers, his life would have been considerably prolonged.

During his long residence in Windsor, Mr Ridge always took a lively interest in public matters. He was appointed one of the first commissioners for the Windsor Road Trust, and held that office for upwards of thirty years. He was also one of the Committee of the Hawkesbury Benevolent Asylum, and held the office of vice-President for several years. At the time of his death he was a Trustee for the Institution, and was also a Trustee of St. Matthew's Church of England. He was elected one of the first aldermen for the Borough of Windsor, and sat for several years in the Council. The deceased took a very deep interest in politics, and greatly assisted in the return of the late W. B. Dalley to Parliament for the constituency of Windsor. Soon after that election he was appointed a Justice of the Peace, but he very rarely exercised that function, being of a retiring disposition. He was a genial, kind-hearted and benevolent man, and no one ever approached him in distress without engaging his sympathy. When he left Windsor his departure was generally regretted, as he was much respected and esteemed by the people of the district. Deceased was in his 79th year, and leaves a family of four sons and five daughters.

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