THE BRUCE HERALD 19 May, 1921 tells of Wm's career, referring to a Melbourne ARGUS report of their diamond wedding celebration on 21 April. Says they "arrived in Dunedin on the ship Brecian on Jan 19th 1866 .. to Milton a few months later. A bricklayer by trade, Mr White worked in Milton for 10 years, constructing many well-known brick buildings. He established the Milton pottery works at the end of the sixties which he carried on for some three years at a great loss." [Good local clay was in short supply. The 50-odd employees tried to carry on, but the business gradually declined, and the buildings and kilns were demolished in 1917.] "In 1876 he returned to Dunedin, and built the Kensington pipe works, which he owned for a number of years."
"He left Dunedin in 1888 for Melbourne, where he founded the firm of White and Hancock of South Melbourne.. [He was] able to retire six years ago..." Firm was apparently renamed when Fred Hancock took over son Will's place ca 1898 or 99. Letters from Mr A. de Bavay [?] of Foster Brewery Collingwood, dated 8/5/99 & 3/7/99 are addressed to Messrs White and Son. They manufactured and imported poultry food and supplies.
The 1899 letters certify that water from WM's Patent High Pressure Filter has been tested and found to be sterile, even from one which had "been working for some time opposite the Cab Stand, Spring St, Melbourne." These filters were used in Victorian State schools, etc.
Wm & Matilda lived in Danks St Sth Melb before he built a pair of semi-detached villas at 135 & 136 Beaconsfield Pde Albert Park in 1904, importing some NZ stone. The Whites named their home, No 136, "Otago" for the NZ province, and the Hancocks lived in No 135, "Trelawney", named for Fred's Cornish roots.
After retirement Wm invented a "corn file", a large emery board to rub away hard skin. He wrote to his nephew Fred White in Lincoln in 1926 offering him work here as a agent for these, but died before he had completed arrangements. His family here believed the project had already been rejected by business buyers, and did not go further with it. By his will dated 27 May 1903, WMW left personal property worth 4424 pounds to his son-in-law [his business partner] and grandchildren.