Acacia Longifolia

Provenance William Fiveash (1825-1892) Born at Northfleet, Kent in December 1825. On arrival in Adelaide, William joined his elder brother Robert A Fiveash (father of Rosa Fiveash) in opening a drapery shop, but Robert much preferred to roam the countryside as far away as the Flinders Ranges and to prospect for metals. This resulted in the dissolution of their business partnership in January 1858, and William subsequently became a very successful commercial traveller. For some years after leaving the shop, William represented the firm Jos. Skelton & Co, and during this period he developed a mutual respect with J E Seppelt of Seppeltsfield. For the remainder of his life he was the Adelaide representative of the son, Bruno Seppelt, and was mainly instrumental in building up one of the largest wine businesses in Australia. He was also an investor in gold mining in the Northern Territory. It was probably his close connection with Freemasonry for which William was best known. In 1855 he withdrew his affiliation with the South Australian constituted movement, and founded a local Duke of Leister Lodge under the Irish constitution. After its foundation stone had been laid by Alfred, the Duke of Edinburgh in 1867, Brother Fiveash was pivotal in raising the funds for the construction on Waymouth Street of the beautiful Alfred Masonic Hall which was regarded as a monument to his exertions. He always managed to avoid politics, although he was often urged to stand for parliamentary or municipal office. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace in October 1883. Through his later years, he did not enjoy the best of health, and he had to withdraw from active leadership of his Lodge. He died at his residence, The Pines in Frewville, of diabetes in October 1892 at the age of 66. Rev W H Mudie read his Church of England burial service, and among the large attendance at the Masonic Hall were J L R and R H Fiveash, his nephews, but as the service was almost strictly Masonic, William’s relatives and friends were “absorbed in the muster of the brethren” who processed in their distinguished regalia, and conducted “the ceremonial peculiar to craft Masonry”. He was buried in the West Terrace Cemetery.