I had originally identified Robert William Victor McCall (1858-1924) as the Clerk of Courts given the temporary responsibilities of Warden of the Gold Fields in January 1878 after all of the existing Wardens had been dismissed on “Black Wednesday” [01]

As I was investigating this McCall’s births, deaths, and marriages information, I realised that he seemed too young to have been been given these responsibilities. As he was only 19 at the time, I decided that the McCall appointed in 1878 was his father, Robert McCall (c1822-1878), who had been the Clerk of Courts at Rushworth – and apparently Murchison – since 1872.

Sometimes it pays to stay with the original thoughts and sources!

The Victoria Government Gazette announcement of the 1878 appointments specifically says R M B [sic] McCall of Murchison. It turns out that Robert McCall (senior) had been the Clerk of Courts at Rushworth and Murchison and later the Receiver and Paymaster there. He was on leave from August 1877 – and later sick leave until his death in October 1878. George William Frederick Patterson had been appointed the Acting Clerk of Courts when McCall (senior) began his leave.

Robert William Victor McCall (the son) was then appointed Registrar of the County Court, Clerk of the Court of Mines, and Acting Clerk of Petty Sessions at Rushworth and Clerk of Petty Sessions at Murchison on 22 October 1877. He replaced Patterson, who had been transferred to Bacchus Marsh [02]. He was soon after also appointed Acting Receiver and Paymaster at Rushworth, filling in for his father [03] Then, on 12 December 1877, he was given the additional responsibility of Commissioner of the Supreme Court for Taking Affidavits [04].

McCall had only been in the Victorian Public Service since 2 March 1877. The other men made temporary Wardens in January 1878 had an average age of 42, with the eldest being 61 and the next youngest, 22.

And so it was, indeed, Robert William Victoria McCall who had been appointed Warden of the Gold Fields in 1878, at the age of 19. It is uncertain how long the men such as McCall (junior) held these responsibilities, but it was probably only until April 1878, when many of the original Wardens were reinstated.