The principles of total abstinence from all intoxicating drink were making great headway in the country districts around Geelong. New divisions of the Sons of Temperance and tents of Rechabites were in a fair way to being launched. Yorkshire evangelist Matthew Burnett, who had arrived in Australia in 1863 had toured the area advocating temperance. Hundreds of drunkards were redeemed. Thousands signed pledges during his campaigns. 

Members of the Order of Rechabites residing at Freshwater Creek, celebrated the new year with a grand tea meeting in the schoolhouse at which up to two hundred were present.​
​

​William Forrester, son of William and Jane (née Hutchison) Volum was born at Peterhead in Scotland on 18 April 1861. He was purser on the migrant ship Hesperus  when he arrived in Australia in 1884. He was an accountant in the Commercial Bank of Australia in Geelong and later became manager of the Mornington branch. 

He married Elizabeth Ann Logan in 1889. They had two children:
 William Ronaldson  — born 1890 in Geelong, married Fay Margaret Buckland in 1921, died 1976 at Frankston aged 85
John Hutchison Gordon — born 1894 in Geelong, married May Latham Kernot on 4 February 1936 at Christ Church in Geelong, died 1976 in Geelong aged 81

William owned Roxby Park at Gnarwarre for about 60 years from 1891 until 1951. He bred Lincoln Merino crossbred sheep. He was also interested in horse racing, and served on the committee of the Geelong Racing Club from 1913 until 1922.

​He was chairman of the school council of The Hermitage Church of England Girls Grammar School from 1906 until 1932 and continued as a member of the school council until his death in 1951. He was also a member of council of the Geelong Church of England Grammar School, serving from 1907 until 1946.

He served as a councillor of the Geelong and Western District Agricultural and Horticultural Society, and is known to have been president during the period 1904-1909. He was a Barrabool Shire councillor serving from 1898 until 1922 and was president seven times, including the four years during World War 1. When the Geelong wool broking company of Dennys Lascelles Ltd went public in 1912 he was one of the first directors. He remained a director until December 1949. He was chairman of the board from 1928 until 1931. He was also a director of Geelong Quarrying and Stone Crushing Ltd and W H Higgins Propty Ltd.

Elizabeth died in January 1925 aged 61 years and was buried in the Church of England section of the Highton Cemetery.

William married Margaret Christina McGregor in 1926. She died on 9 My 1985 aged 94 years at Newtown.

William died on 17 January 1951 aged 89 years. His funeral at All Saints Church in Newtown left for the Fawkner Crematorium. This was before the opening of the crematorium at Altona (1961) and Geelong (1988). After his death Roxby Park sold at auction for £100,000 to an undisclosed buyer, believed to be a Melbourne business man. It was described as 3959 acres with a five mile frontage to the Barwon River. Improvements included a bluestone house of 10 main rooms, men's quarters, billiard room, dairy and shearing sheds.

Robert Laidlaw, son of William and Rachel (née Andison) Fletcher was born on 7 July 1844 at Morbattle, Roxburgh in Scotland. He arrived in Victoria aboard the Six Sisters in January 1853 with his mother, father, sisters and brother. Shipping records show their ages were: 
William — 33
Rachel — 31
Robert — 8
Margaret — 5
​Janet — 3
John — 1
​
He married Mary Harriet, daughter of John and Mary (née Hay) Hensley of Mount Moriac, on 5 June 1873. He became a Barrabool Shire councillor, serving from 1871 until 1886 and 1896 until 1916. He was appointed a justice of the peace for the Southern Bailiwick on 19 December 1881 and on 11 July 1885.

He died on 24 July 1918 at the age of 76 at Ewerby in Mount Moriac and was buried in the Church of England section of the Mount Moriac Cemetery. Mary died at the age of 85 and was buried on 17 November 1942 in an unknown location at the Mount Moriac Cemetery.