Notable South Australians/John Varley, S.M.

2379381Notable South Australians — John Varley, S.M.George E. Loyau

John Varley, S.M.,

IS a native of Tattershall, a market town in the county of Lincoln, where he was born in October 1830. His father, a near relative of John Varley, the well-known artist in water-color painting,—for many years carried on an extensive business as a brewer, maltster, and corn and coal merchant. Mr. Varley, was educated at Lincoln, by the late George Boole, LL.D., who in 1850 was appointed Professor of Mathematics at Queen's College, Cork. He evinced great proficiency in various branches of learning, but more especially excelled in navigation and nautical astronomy. On attaining his 15th year he went to sea, and made rapid progress, but in 1854 he was compelled to relinquish the profession he had chosen, in consequence of a prolonged attack of intermittent fever and ague, contracted in Batavia, and quitted a sphere in which he might have achieved success, to seek in this new land of ours scope for his endeavours in another direction. In February, 1855, he entered the Public Service of this colony, and remained in Adelaide until April, 1868, when he was appointed Stipendiary Magistrate at Kapunda, and Returning Officer for the Electoral District of Light. In March 1883, he was also appointed Returning Officer for the Legislative Council, North Eastern District. Mr. Varley married, in 1854, the youngest daughter of the late Hon. Henry Mildred, M.L.C. His two sons, Messrs. H. W. and C. G. Varley, hold high positions in the legal profession in Adelaide, and are practitioners of the Supreme Court of South Australia.