Biography

George Babington (1817 - 1888) was born at Killibegs, in Donegal Ireland. He was educated there and became a qualified surveyor. He arrived in Van Diemen’s Land on the barque ‘Helen’ in 1835. He lived and worked in Hobart for a number of years and was responsible for the survey and construction of several roads. For a few years George Babington moved to New Zealand and was involved in the whaling trade. He also surveyed and laid out several early small towns there.

After a short visit to the gold fields in California he returned to Tasmania and settled in Launceston where he was appointed town surveyor to the Launceston Municipal Council in September 1853. He held this position for twenty-nine years. At the time of his appointment there was no proper sewerage system and no gas or water supplies. However George Babington developed and supervised the construction of a water delivery scheme proposed by a Mr Lamont, to bring water from St Patrick’s River to Launceston. Babington also mapped out the permanent levels of the town streets and supervised all the works on the town sewers, except for Margaret Street.

With the Building Act of 1863, the duties of superintendent of waterworks were combined with those of town surveyor. George Babington filled both these roles until his retirement at the end of 1882.

In private life he was a member on the Church of England and attended St John’s Church. For twenty-one years he was superintendent of St John’s Sunday School and for ten years was a churchwarden.

He was a member of the Launceston Benevolent Society for twenty years and served as Treasurer and Executive Committee member. He was also a director of several mining companies.

George Babington married and had a son and four daughters. They resided in Paterson Street. He died in Launceston on 29^th December 1888 aged 71 years.

In the 1890s, the teachers and students of the Sunday School erected a 'large marble plaque in the parish hall in memory of George Babington and Frederick Lakin. The plaque was placed on the inside wall that became become an outside wall within the hotel complex next door, but since 1990 stands in history room. The inscription reads:
ERECTED BY THE TEACHERS AND STUDENTS OF ST. JOHN'S SUNDAY SCHOOL AS A TOKEN OF LOVE AND ESTEEM TO THE MEMORY OF GEORGE BABINGTON,
WHO WAS SUPERINTENDENT FOR 21 YEARS.
DIED DECEMBER 29TH 1888

FREDERICK LAKIN,
WHO WAS LIBRARIAN FOR 25 YEARS
DIED MARCH 9TH 1889)
THEY REST FROM THEIR LABOURS, AND THEIR WORKS DO FOLLOW THEM

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