Evershed Clock

Memorial Clock to Dr Evershed in Gipps St

Dr Montague Frederick Evershed was born on 29 March 1841 at Billinghurst, Sussex, in England. He studied to be a doctor and worked at Guy’s Hospital, London before serving for 2 years as a ship’s surgeon on H.M.S. ‘Sabroan’.

When his ship visited Sydney in 1873, Dr Evershed heard of the need for doctors in country towns in the colony and after visiting the country area, decided to set up his practice in Bega.

His visiting area reached from Tilba to the Victorian border, up to Bombala and Brown Mountain – all on horseback in all weather!

Dr Evershed married Louisa Welby the daughter of the Bega schoolmaster and they had several children. He was a trustee and church warden of St John’s Church, loved cricket, and was patron of the cricket club.

Dr Evershed died on 16 June 1927, aged 86. He was so dedicated to Bega and loved by the people that they decided to build a memorial to remember him. It took a lot of fund-raising to make the ₤450 ($1000) and in 1930 Sir John Sulman was asked to design a clock tower as a memorial. At first it was decided to put the clock tower in the middle of the Carp and Gipps St intersection, but this was not recommended by the Main Roads Board, so the position was moved to the middle of Gipps St, in line with the intersection.

Mr Robert Thatcher a well known builder in Bega, erected the clock tower and the clock was bought from Sydney and installed.
The memorial was dedicated before 2,000 people in May 1930, the first and only public memorial to any single person in the district : ‘serving the public as the worthy doctor loved to do’.