WILLIAM EARNEST BEVILAQUA
Commission Agent, Katanning
William Bevilaqua was one of many South Australians who ventured west looking for business opportunities and a better life. He was a son of Mr. Louis Bevilaqua, of Adelaide, South Australia, and was born at Lyndoch Valley, South Australia, on July 27, 1871. He received his education at Prince Alfred College, in Adelaide. Upon the completion of his scholastic career he entered the Adelaide Branch of the Commercial Bank of Australia, Limited, and continued in this service until the institution was closed.
In 1898, he visited Western Australia and, being attracted by bush life, spent several years in trapping kangaroos and wild dogs, meeting with considerable success in these and kindred pursuits.
In 1903, he returned to South Australia, but after a year on his native soil the “call of the West” brought him back to the younger country. Originally, he directed his attention to the farming industry when he took up 1,700 acres of land in the district of Gnowangerup, but he only retained this property for a couple of years. At the end of that period he sold out to Mr. G. House after making various improvements and generally developing the estate up.
Mr. Bevilaqua next opened a successful general storekeeping business at Katanning, which he eventually disposed of. He then established himself in the town as a general commission agent in which he again proved successful. In addition to this business he was also largely interested in land and other investments in the district and town of Katanning, and superintends the working of a farming property lying close by, which he purchased in 1909.
In 1908 Mr. Bevilaqua married Lilian, daughter of Mr. W. Porteous, pastoralist, of Gnowangerup, Western Australia, and the couple had two daughters.
WILLIAM EARNEST BEVILAQUA