George Alexander
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Mr George Alexander was born in London in 1910. His mother was a domestic servant and he never knew his father. From the age of two he was raised by his grandparents, who lived near Farnborough in Hampshire. He was a bright student with an ambition to become a motor mechanic, but his family could not afford the cost of an apprenticeship. At the age of thirteen he left school to work in a bicycle shop for one shilling and sixpence a week. In 1924 he returned to London to work on river pleasure boats as a deckhand.
In 1926 George Alexander migrated to Australia under the Big Brother Movement, an organisation which brought British boys to Australia to work on the land. He worked on several dairy and wheat farms in western Victoria, but times were tough on the land in the Depression years and in 1930 he was out of work for several months.
After moving to Koroit in Victoria's Western District, George Alexander got a job in the local garage and became an A grade mechanic. In 1937 he married and moved to Geelong, where he worked for an engineering firm. He enrolled in evening classes in mechanics and management at the Gordon Institute, and was soon asked to become a part-time lecturer.
During the Second World War he became manager of a munitions factory in Melbourne and also studied and taught at RMIT.
After the war George patented numerous inventions for hose fittings and related products and he used all his savings to set up a company he called 'Neta' to manufacture them. Years of hard work made the business a success and George became a wealthy man. In the early 1970s he sold his business and retired to Queensland, where he had a successful career as a property developer.
In 1972 he established The George Alexander Foundation as a way of sharing his wealth. He always held the view that you do not really own the possessions you have, 'you're just minding them' and this belief was central to the development of his philanthropy. In 2004 George Alexander was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for community service.
George Alexander lived modestly and never sought public recognition. In May 2007, George Alexander was named Gordon Institute of TAFE Outstanding Alumni of 2007, in recognition of his lifetime of achievements, his contributions to the community and his connection to the Gordon Institute.
George Alexander died on 6 February 2008.
Sources:
- The George Alexander Foundation 2005/06 Distribution Report
- Obituary for George Alexander, by the Governors of the George Alexander Foundation.