When Captain Edward Templeton died at the Union Club Hotel in March 1889, Colac lost a man who was far more than a hotelkeeper. He had spent decades building a reputation as a progressive thinker, community leader and respected citizen.

Born in Kingstown, Ireland, about 1827, Edward was the son of Thomas Templeton, a shoemaker. Following in his father's trade, he was apprenticed to Liverpool bootmaker Charles Hannah and boarded with the Hannah family. In 1851 he married his employer’s daughter Sarah and, later the following year, the young couple boarded the Constance and sailed for Victoria.

Edward embraced the opportunities of colonial life, and he worked as a printer with the Argus newspaper, becoming an active member of the Volunteer Rifle Corps. His dedication earned appointment as a lieutenant by the Governor of Victoria and later promotion to brevet captain, a title by which he was widely known for the rest of his life.

While living in Melbourne he took an active interest in public affairs, his views described as being “of the progressive type.” He later entered hotelkeeping, becoming proprietor of the Palmerston Hotel in Carlton.

After Sarah's death in 1879, Edward eventually moved to Colac, taking over the Union Club Hotel in 1884. Newspapers described him as "a gentleman well known in metropolitan circles", confident that the reputation of the hotel would prosper in his hands.

The Union Club became the centre of his family's life, witnessing his daughter Katie's marriage, the births of grandchildren, and finally his own death. Today Edward is remembered as a man who left a lasting mark on both Melbourne and Colac.

Research by Merrill O’Donnell

Story by Alan Doyle and Merrill O’Donnell

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