Naming of the Wards and Other Significant Areas

The William Walker Library

Born in Glasgow, William Walker arrived in Australia with his family on the immigrant ship the "Alfred", at the age of nine. In 1852 he was admitted as an Attorney, Solicitor and Proctor of the Supreme Court. Later, William Walker worked to improve many aspects of the Hawkesbury area while serving as a member of parliament. In 1860 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly for Windsor. He was subsequently re-elected in 1860 and 1864, and in 1887 he was appointed to the Legislative Council by Sir Henry Parkes, where he served until his death in 1908.

William Walker was closely associated with the establishment of a public school at Windsor in 1869 and the establishment of the Windsor Borough Council in 1871 where he served as alderman for ten years and Mayor for one year in 1878.

While serving as Secretary to the Windsor School of Arts and Literary Institute, a land grant for the Institute was successfully acquired through a petition organised by William Walker. The School of Arts served the literary and social needs of the community over a period of eighty-five years, from 1862-1947. William Walker server as the School of Arts President from 1861, for seventeen years. His own literary skills were documented in the following published works:

Poems (1884) a collection of verse written by Walker during the ages of 18-22 years Miscellanies (1884) a collection of lectures, speeches and accounts of floods Reminiscences (1890) which gave an account of Windsor in the 1940's

William Walker was an energetic man who spent much time working in a voluntary capacity within the local community. He was an active Committeeman for fifty-six years with the Hawkesbury Benevolent Society (which later became Hawkesbury District Hospital), holding positions of Trustee for forty-nine years, President for eighteen years, Secretary for fourteen years and Vice President for five years. Through his work with the Hawkesbury Benevolent Society, many disadvantaged people in the local area were assisted.

For more than half a century, William Walker devoted his energies to the betterment of the Windsor district.