William Armson

William Armson was born in Sneinton, Nottingham in 1836.  He came to Melbourne in his youth and worked for the Tasker family as a Surgeon's Assistant, Richard Tasker being a well respected Doctor in the town. 

William later became a grocer on Derby Rd and the Registrar of Births and Deaths. His life seemed to typify the philanthropic, public service work done by many in the time before there was much state involvement in public life. 

He was a member of the School Board and later a Manager of the Council School as well as Chairman and Inspector of Religious Education and a Manager of the Church of England School. He was on the Burial, Lighting and Local Assessment Committees before being voted onto the newly formed Parish Council, of which he was Chairman for many years. He was also Chairman of the Melbourne and Alvaston Old-age Pension and Soldier’s Dependents Committee. 

For many years he was also a Churchwarden and Sunday School Superintendent, only retiring after a doctrinal disagreement with the new vicar in 1909. (See Leonard Robins). He was also president and treasurer of the Mechanics Institute and Athenaeum. He was vice-president of the Horticultural Society, a member of the Allotments Committee, the Art Class and the Technical Education Committee. 

He was friends with the Taskers all his life and when they gave a brass eagle lectern to the church in 1891, (see Richard & Louisa Tasker) William gave the bible to stand on it, which was inscribed: 

"To the Glory of God, and in memory of forty happy years spent in the service of Richard Thomas and Louisa Susannah Tasker, this bible was given for use in Melbourne Church by William Armson, Easter, 1891."

On his death at 84 in 1919 the Tasker family erected the memorial plaque in his memory with the inscription "Faithful and true".