George was born in Pyrmont, Sydney, in 1859 to parents Thomas and Jessie. He was the second son in a family of ten children.
George was educated at Fort Street Model Public School in Millers Point. The school was established in 1849 and was the first government model school in New South Wales. The school is one of the oldest public schools in Australia and continues to educate primary and high school students. George left school aged 14 and began studying engineering by night while serving an apprenticeship with the Australasian Steam Navigation Company at their Pyrmont shipyards.
After completing his apprenticeship at age 18, George was placed in a leadership role as he left Sydney with a group for Queensland, where he oversaw the construction of wharves in Townsville.
On his return to Sydney, George and his brother, Arthur, established a firm of architects and engineers. The firm was highly successful, being responsible for many buildings throughout Sydney. Some examples are the Mark Foy building, the Burns Philip building in Bridge Street, and “Montana” on Bell Street, Glebe (which had previously been the headquarters of the Sydney Home Nursing Service). The firm was also responsible for the construction of the underground telephone tunnels under the city.
Family Life
In 1880, George married Susan Faulds Blackwood. Susan was the daughter of James and Elizabeth Blackwood. James was the founder of the firm James Blackwood and Sons, supplying shipwrights and engineers. This company continues operating today, under the trading name of Blackwoods, and supplies industrial, engineering, and safety products.
George and Susan went on to have nine children: Ludovic G. H. (b. 1883 – d. 1961), Elizabeth (b. 1884), James T. (b. 1881 – d. 1895), George R. (b. 1896), Flora B. (b. 1888), Arthur B. (b. 1890), Mona B. (b. 1893), Agnes S. B. (b. 1895 – d. 1976), and Keith Blackwood (b. 1898 – d. 1944).
After completing his apprenticeship at age 18, George was placed in a leadership role as he left Sydney with a group for Queensland, where he oversaw the construction of wharves in Townsville.
Linnwood House
In the early 1890s, Susan purchased land in Guildford which was part of the Orchardleigh estate and George designed and built a country home. The land was officially registered in Susan’s name, and she held a number of land titles in her own right.
The house, named Linnwood Hall, was completed in April 1891. The heritage-listed property was designed in the Italiante style with a central portico flanked by French windows and segmented projecting bays. Stained glass windows (manufactured in England) feature in the main house showing scenes of native Australian birds. In 1894, a Presbyterian church was added to the grounds to accommodate services for the Guildford district. Services continued in this building until a new church, the George McCredie Memorial Uniting Church (now Holroyd Uniting Church), on Guildford Road, on land which was donated by the McCredie family.
The McCredie family lived at Linnwood until Susan leased, and then sold, it to the NSW Department of Education.
In 1917, the Department began looking for a suitable site for a Truant School and Linnwood was selected, in part due to its location and ample accommodations and grounds. Linnwood underwent renovations to turn the family home into a residential home for boys sent to the school in the hopes of avoiding them becoming juvenile offenders and to encourage the boys to learn a skill or trade. The first boys were admitted on 19th of March 1918. The Truant School was the first and only of its kind in NSW. After several years of declining intake numbers, the Truant School closed in November 1936, with the remaining boys discharged to return home.
Linnwood House was renovated again to improve conditions to become a training school for girls. In 1939, Linnwood took in girls from disadvantaged backgrounds, aged 12 to 15 years of age, and taught them skills in cooking, home management, and needlework. On the 12th of July 1956, a fire broke out in the kitchen area and the girls were evacuated in the middle of the night. The interior of the building was largely undamaged, but repairs were needed in the kitchen and roof. An extra cottage was opened in July 1970 to accommodate preschool aged children who had become wards of the State. Another building, Faulds House, was opened in April 1970 to provide accommodation for primary and high school aged children who attended local schools.
In later years, Linnwood became a museum. It is now cared for by the Friends of Linnwood Society, who hold regular open days to raise funds needed to maintain the property.
Politics and the Plague
Within a year of moving to Guildford, in February 1892, George was elected as Alderman of the Municipality of Prospect and Sherwood, having been elected to council in 1891. He served three terms as Mayor and was commissioned as a Justice of the Peace in 1892.
In 1893, George was elected as a Member for Central Cumberland to the NSW Legislative Assembly, where he served for a year. He ran on an independent ticket as a free trader.
In 1900, the bubonic plague came to Sydney, threatening lives and leading to panic and dread. After confirmation that the disease had reached the city yet again, George was appointed by the State Government to take charge of all quarantine activities in the Sydney area, beginning work in March 1900. George began by conducting house-to-house inspections of the affected areas and quarantining them. The people who lived in those areas became responsible for the tasks of cleaning, whitewashing, burning, and, if necessary, demolishing the affected premises. George went about the work of disinfecting areas methodically, including silt and sewerage being dredged from the wharves, garbage removed or burnt, and thousands of premises inspected and cleansed. George would often go into the affected areas to oversee the work, exposing himself to the plague infected victims.
In recognition of his service, George received a ‘Victor of the Plague’ shield.
Death
In 1903, George was holidaying in Cowan when he fell ill. Upon returning home George was cared for at Linnwood. On 4 February 1903, George succumbed to his illness. The unknown illness has been indirectly attributed to his work in the plague conditions. At the age of 44, George was survived by his wife, Susan, and eight children.
George’s funeral left from Linnwood Hall on Friday 6th February with a large procession. He was interred in Rookwood Cemetery.
Susan Faulds McCredie died in Wahroonga in 1936, never having remarried.
