Born in Somerset, England, around 1843, Alexander Gaylard was the eldest son of an agricultural labourer. As a young boy he worked on farms before emigrating with his family to Australia aboard the Neptune in 1853. The voyage lasted one hundred and forty-three days and was marked by sickness and hardship before the family finally reached South Australia.
By the early 1860s Alexander had settled in Colac, where he worked as a carter and later as a contractor for the Colac Shire. His first marriage, to Jane Marks in 1863, ended in tragedy when she died only weeks after the wedding. In 1866 he married Jane Lemon and together they raised a family of twelve children.
Alexander was known as a hardworking, hard living man, but one story ensured he would be remembered. Around 1890 he wandered into a Salvation Army meeting after spending the evening at the pub. He had little time for religion and reportedly joked that he had enough mouths to feed without worrying about saving his soul. Yet something about the warmth and humour of the meeting touched him. He returned the next day and soon became a devoted member of the Salvation Army.
In later years Alexander suffered badly from asthma. Hoping a change of climate would improve his health, he travelled to visit relatives at Rupanyup. Instead, he died there in November 1894 at just fifty-two years of age.
A memorial service was later held at the Salvation Army Barracks in Colac, where he was remembered as a family man whose life had been transformed and whose faith left a lasting impression on those who knew him.

Research by Jill Judd
Story with assistance from Lorraine Black, Colac Writers


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