Hamilton, Victoria. Annis & George Bills Trough
George Bills was an Englishman who migrated to Australia, via New Zealand. In Brisbane he met and married Annis Swann from Sheffield, England. The couple had no children but shared a great interest in animal welfare. They ended up in Sydney making a fortune manufacturing mattresses. One thing they thought was important was to see that when a horse came into town there was somewhere for the horse to drink: some also had a dog bowl at the end.
After George's death in 1927 a trust fund of approximately £80,000 was set to manufacture and provide horse troughs wherever they were needed in Australia and the United Kingdom – hence the "Annis and George Bills" trough. Most troughs read "Donated by Annis & George Bills Australia".
The troughs were £13 each plus transport and installation. The majority were installed in Victoria and New South Wales. One exists at St Arnaud, Victoria, another at Newtown, Victoria. One is also at Tunbridge Wells UK.
Reference: ABC Real Stories website and Wikipedia.
Hamilton, Victoria. Annis & George Bills Trough
George Bills was an Englishman who migrated to Australia, via New Zealand. In Brisbane he met and married Annis Swann from Sheffield, England. The couple had no children but shared a great interest in animal welfare. They ended up in Sydney making a fortune manufacturing mattresses. One thing they thought was important was to see that when a horse came into town there was somewhere for the horse to drink: some also had a dog bowl at the end.
After George's death in 1927 a trust fund of approximately £80,000 was set to manufacture and provide horse troughs wherever they were needed in Australia and the United Kingdom – hence the "Annis and George Bills" trough. Most troughs read "Donated by Annis & George Bills Australia".
The troughs were £13 each plus transport and installation. The majority were installed in Victoria and New South Wales. One exists at St Arnaud, Victoria, another at Newtown, Victoria. One is also at Tunbridge Wells UK.
Reference: ABC Real Stories website and Wikipedia.