George Redshaw, one of six sons, was born in Sydney of English parents, his father, from the city of Derby, coming to Australia as officer in charge of a troop of police.
George became a schoolteacher and held positions in several country towns, meeting and marrying Fanny Lilias Muir, also a schoolteacher, of Cowra, about 1902. They lived for a short time in Petersham, but in 1907-1908 George purchased three blocks of land in Cheltenham, on the southern corner of Beecroft and Cheltenham Roads. William Nixon designed their home in an early Federation style, with a veranda along the front and half side, half timbered veranda columns and a symmetrical plan with a central hallway. A tennis court was laid out south of the house.[1]
Fanny and George Redshaw had two sons, Errol (born 1903) became a prominent electrical engineer. George (born 1906) entered the Faculty of Medicine at Sydney University at the age of
15, graduated at the age of 21, and after a few years in private practice, went into the Commonwealth Department of Health, becoming Deputy Director-General.
In 1915 when the Sands Directory first included Beecroft and Cheltenham, George Redshaw had the name of his house entered as ‘Roldor’, a word made up of parts of Errol and ‘Dorts’, a family nickname for George Jr. The later and permanent name of the house was ‘Ascot’.
Fanny Redshaw was an active member of the New South Wales Croquet Association and was its Secretary for many years. She was a foundation member of Beecroft Croquet Club and played there often with her friend Mrs Moore.
George Redshaw was Principal of Manly High School on his retirement in 1935. The following year he and his wife spent 12 months holidaying overseas, especially visiting London for the proposed Coronation of King Edward VIII on 12 May 1937. However, as Edward abdicated in December 1936, his brother, King George VI was crowned instead. George Redshaw died in his Cheltenham home in 1939, and shortly afterwards Fanny moved to a flat in Strathfield. The Cheltenham house was let without a legal lease being drawn up and the tenant refused to move out for many years, claiming the ‘protected tenant’ clause as an ex-serviceman.
Fanny died in Canberra where she had moved to be with her son George.[2]
[1] Land Titles Office 1757/170 and 1905/128.
[2] Information from Mrs Joan Redshaw of Cheltenham.