Dr George Underwood Alley, an old colonist, and late editor of the Araluen Standard, died 24 June 1879 at his residence at Redbank, Araluen, aged 751NSW Birth Death Marriages, 4644/1879 familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au accessed 20 February 2024 and was a native of Dublin, reported the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate.2Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate (NSW: 1876-1954), Wednesday 23 July 1879, p 3. 3Evening News (Sydney, NSW : 1869-1931), Saturday 19 July 1879, p 4. George Underwood Alley (1804-1879), the son of John Alley and Jane Anne Underwood, married Catherine Amelia Smith, the daughter of Thomas Smith and Kitty Matilda Forth4NSW Birth Death Marriages, Catherine’s death certificate 3365/1890 familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au accessed 20 February 2024 ,in 1830 in Dublin, Ireland, and they had fifteen children. George and Catherine came to Australia in 1838, and moved to Araluen from the Shoalhaven in 1863.
![A poem titled Christmas Day in Australia. Original poetry by G.U.A. [Dr. George Underwood Alley] Published 29 December 1856](https://araluenvalley-history.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Alley-Gu-Xmas-poem-1857.png)
Published 29 December 1856
Dr Alley was remembered as a prominent public character, who was a frequent writer in the press, with his usual signature being ‘G. U. A.’ He also published poems (see his 1857 ‘Christmas Day in Australia’) and was fined in 1862, at the Shoalhaven, a ‘penalty of £20, or the alternative of three months’ imprisonment, for selling a song, which, although bearing his own signature, had not the printer’s name affixed‘.5Golden Age (Queanbeyan, NSW: 1860-1864), Saturday 5 July 1862, p 3.
Dr George Alley ‘frequently aimed at accomplishing public good, but his ever-prevailing weakness for bitter personalities invariably nullified the efforts of his ready pen’ reported the Illawarra Mercury6Illawarra Mercury (Wollongong, NSW : 1856-1950), Tuesday 8 July 1879, p 2. in 1879.
– 30 August 1867
Taking a keen interest in local matters, in 1867, Dr Alley advertised in the Braidwood Independent7Braidwood Independent (NSW : 1867), Saturday 31 August 1867, p 5. notifying when those owed monies for labour on the road in 1867 could receive it.
He wrote in the Empire8Empire (Sydney, NSW: 1850-1875), Thursday 26 July 1866, p 3. ‘To J. W. Orridge, Esq., J.P., Superintendent of Police, Braidwood.’ ‘Sir, Having heard that Riley (wounded in self-defence by detective McGlone), is not likely to recover, I would suggest that in these bushranging times, it is of importance that a coroner’s inquest should be held, and a careful post mortem examination made, because the statements in the newspapers of the direction and nature of the wound are wholly untrue, and because the truth being made known may be the means of saving human life, if similarly jeopardised. Should you consider this suggestion worth your attention, I should like to be present at the post mortem examination, GEO. UNDERWOOD ALLEY. Araluen, June 21, 1866.’
Trevor Underwood Alley Portion 583
In June 1869, Dr Alley suggested Reverend A. D. Faunce, the resident Church of England clergyman in the Valley, was introducing Ritualism into the church,9News, Shoalhaven and Southern Coast Districts Advertiser (NSW: 1867-1871), Saturday 19 June 1869, p 2. which resulted in many published letters of fierce rebuttal.
Dr George Underwood Alley, the Sydney Mail10Sydney Mail (NSW : 1860-1871), Saturday 7 November 1869, p 14. reported in November 1869, ‘… has issued placards announcing his intention to contest the Braidwood electorate, in the event of no local candidate coming forward of known constitutional principles and opinions favourable to progress and reform‘. The candidates, as reported in the Goulburn Herald and Chronicle,11Goulburn Herald and Chronicle (NSW : 1864-1881), Wednesday 8 December 1869, p 2. were ‘Mr. Kelly, the late member who however sat in the House only once or twice and took no part in debate, Dr. Alley of Araluen, and Mr. Edward Greville of Sydney. Dr. Alley takes extreme Protestant views; and Mr. Greville is also understood to stand in what it is now become the practice to call the Protestant interest. An attempt to induce Dr. Alley to withdraw is understood to have failed.’ Dr Alley was not successful in what became well known as the Pick Handle election.
In the March 1872 election Dr Alley again nominated unsuccessfully. The Australian Town and Country Journal12Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870-1919), Saturday 16 March 1872, p 7. reported ‘Our late member [Greville] has been again returned by an overwhelming majority. … Dr. Alley, who contested this district unsuccessfully once before, was the proprietor of a paper (now defunct), the Araluen Standard, and after his former defeat, in his capacity as editor of that journal, abused the Catholics of this district in no very measured terms. He also said, in his evidence before the Gold-Fields Commission that he considered “Agriculture of far greater importance than mining, and that if an acre of ground would grow a crop of wheat it should be kept for that purpose. Here is (speaking of Araluen) one of the finest valleys in the world utterly destroyed for the purposes of agriculture.” Both of these irrational outbursts were taken advantage of by his opponent’s committees, and made the subject of electioneering squibs, thereby greatly damaging his cause.”
On 14 July 1890, the Sydney Morning Herald13Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842-1954), Monday 18 August 1890, p 1. noted the death ‘at her residence, Redbank, Araluen, New South Wales, [of] Mrs. Alley [Catherine Amelia Smith] relict of the late Dr. Alley, and daughter of the late Thomas Smith, of Her Majesty’s Customs, Dublin. In the 78th year of her age’.14NSW Birth Death Marriages, Catherine’s death certificate 3365/1890 familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au accessed 20 February 2024