Dr. Henry Edward Nankivell devoted his short life to caring for the people of Colac at a time when medical help was often hard to find and tragedy all too common.
Born in Truro, Cornwall, England, in 1822, Henry was the son of John Thomas Nankivell and Denise Griffiths. In 1853, Henry arrived in Colac and took over the medical practice of Dr Stodart.
Dr Nankivell quickly became an important figure in the growing township. Besides being a busy doctor, he also served as Deputy Registrar, Coroner and public vaccinator. His work was demanding and often heartbreaking, as many of the inquests and medical cases he handled involved well-known local families. Beyond medicine, Henry worked for the welfare of the district through his involvement with the cemetery trustees, the National School, and efforts to stock Lake Colac with fish from the Murray River.
He built a brick home and surgery beside Barongarook Creek known as “Mooringarara”, a house that still stands today.
In 1858, at Winchelsea, Henry married Agnes Peter, and later that year their daughter, Louisa Henrietta Agnes, was born. Sadly, his life was cut short when he died from inflammation of the kidneys on 13 August 1859 just two days before his daughter’s first birthday. He left behind his expectant wife, and their young child.

Research by Merrill O’Donnell and Diana McGarvie
Story by Diana McGarvie


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