George Coppin

Coppin was born at Steyning, Sussex, England, son of George Selth Coppin (1794–1854), a Norwich surgeon, and Elizabeth Jane, née Jackson. His grandfather had been a well-known clergyman at Norwich. George Selth Coppin Senior studied for the medical profession, but abandoned this to join a group of travelling actors. George Coppin Junior (he rarely used his middle name, Selth) became an assistant in his father's company; George and his sister performed their own act by 1826. At the age of 18 Coppin had an engagement at the Woolwich theatre, and soon afterwards was playing at Richmond, where he became low comedian at a salary of twenty-five shillings a week. He next obtained an engagement at the Queen's Theatre, London, and in subsequent years played as first low comedian in the provinces and at Abbey Theatre, Dublin, where he had a long acting engagement. There Coppin met Maria Watkins Burroughs, nine years older than Coppin. They lived together from 1842 to 1848. ==Australia==

's play Coppin decided to leave England in search of other opportunities; a coin toss meant he sailed for Australia, not America, towards the end of 1842, arriving in Sydney on 10 March 1843. and enjoyed great popularity, which lasted until the Theatre Royal opened in 1868. Around 1850 Coppin built Semaphore Hotel (and thereby gave that suburb its name) and the "White Horse Cellars", an hotel and theatre in Port Adelaide, later owned by William Knapman. Coppin suffered losses in his copper-mining investments and with the exodus of his hotel and playhouse patrons to the Victorian diggings, he became insolvent. who quit the business when that theatre was destroyed by fire. In 1869 Coppin spearheaded The Old Colonists' Association of Victoria, which received a government grant of land in North Fitzroy for the establishment of safe, dignified, affordable housing for needy early settlers at a time when there was no social welfare system of any kind. In 1869 Coppin purchased the property "Invergowrie" in Hawthorn in Melbourne's inner east, and soon subdivided the large landholdings, establishing two streets through the area, namely Coppin Grove and Shakespeare Grove. (The joke has been made that Coppin named the two streets after his two favourite actors.) Despite the land subdivision, "Invergowrie" survives at 21 Coppin Grove, and is regarded as one Hawthorn's most important historical buildings. Coppin Street, Richmond was also named after George Coppin. George Coppin was also a very senior leader within Freemasonry and a pioneer on many levels. He was an active Freemason from his stay in Adelaide until his death. He played a key role in the formation of the Grand Lodge of Victoria in 1883, of which he became the first Grand Master. The Coppin Masonic Lodge in East Brunswick bears his name as does Coppin Hall at the Royal Freemasons Homes. ==Political career==

In April 1858 Coppin began to take an interest in public affairs—he became a councillor in the Richmond municipality, and in October 1858 was elected for the South Western Province in the Victorian Legislative Council In 1859 he brought in a transfer of property bill which was passed in the Council and rejected in the Assembly. Three years later it became law, James Service taking charge of it in the assembly, and Coppin in the council. This measure (often referred to as the "Torrens Act" for R. R. Torrens, who promoted it) has proved to be a very valuable one. Coppin resigned from the Council in February 1863. Coppin was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly for East Melbourne in May 1874 and did useful work; for example, he established post office savings banks. Coppin was opposed to the payment of members of Parliament, and when the act passed to pay them, he gave his salary to charities. Coppin retired from theatrical management on 28 June 1882, but remained a member of the Legislative Assembly until losing his seat in March 1889. Soon after, in August 1889, he was elected as member for Melbourne Province in the Victorian Legislative Council, holding this seat until August 1895. ==Later life==

Coppin took an interest in the development of Sorrento, Victoria where he had a seaside home, and kept up his connection with the Old Colonists' Association (which he had founded), the Victorian Humane Society, Gordon House, the St John's Ambulance Service, the Australasian Dramatic and Musical Association, and other institutions. When managing the Cremorne Gardens he had brought out the first balloon to ascend in Melbourne, and was responsible for the acclimatization of English thrushes and white swans. He was also the first to suggest the value of camels for the Australian interior. A bronze plaque to Coppin's memory was unveiled at the Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, on 26 March 1939. He is there described as "Philanthropist and Father of the Theatre in Victoria". Theatre Heritage Australia published a further biography in 2025. ==Notes and references==