Few men could claim a life as varied and devoted to public service as William Stevens. Born in 1830 at Westbourne, England, to George Stevens and Charlotte Windebank, he spent eleven years in the British Navy and was said to entertain listeners with stories of his adventures at sea.
Around 1859 William arrived in Victoria, where he continued a life of service. After a period with the Victorian Police Force, he accepted a position that would define much of his working life—that of lighthouse keeper. In 1862, at Belfast (now Port Fairy), he married Susan Davies, a young woman from Middlesex, England, who had arrived in the colony only the previous year and was employed as a domestic servant.
The sea remained central to their lives. Over the following decades William served at some of Victoria's most important lighthouse stations, including Gabo Island, Cape Schanck, Port Fairy, Warrnambool, Wilsons Promontory, Geelong and Cape Otway. Between 1865 and 1875, William and Susan welcomed five children.
William's concern for his community extended beyond his official duties. In 1880, while stationed at Cape Otway, he joined fellow residents in petitioning the Minister for Education for a local school. Sixteen children lived in the district, with the nearest school sixteen miles away at Apollo Bay. Their efforts succeeded, and in 1881 a teacher arrived, with the front room of the telegraph station serving as the first classroom.
After more than four decades in British and colonial service, William settled at Colac East, naming his home "Otway Wild". He died in 1895, aged 67, remembered as "a gentleman and Victorian pensioner." His contribution to Victoria's maritime and community history deserves to be remembered.

Research by Merrill O’Donnell
Story by Merrill O'Donnell

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