DROMANA. Mr James George,a very old resident of Rosebud, was found dead in his bed on Tuesday by Mr E. Cairns. Deceased was 83 years of age, and has been residing in the district for upwards of 40 years. Prior to coming to Australia, he served for a number of years in the British navy. He was the recipient of an old age pension, and has been living alone in his little hut at Rosebud for a very long time. He was held in the highest esteem by those who knew him as an honest and upright man. The remains were interred in the Dromana cemetery on Wednesday.
(P.2,Mornington Standard, 7-6-1906.)

There is a photo of James George in Peter Wilson's ON THE ROAD TO ROSEBUD. On page 22, Peter stated that "Old George" was a Greek fisherman, born in Greece in 1819 who arrived in Australia in 1877 and was naturalised in 1899. James made his own rabbit skin boots. If I remember correctly the photo shows James outside his hut.The hut was on the foreshore but he was not assessed on it in 1900 so it must have been outside the boundaries of the Rosebud Fishing Village,perhaps near the Village Green. For some reason, the council must have been unable to levy rates on fishermen squatting on the foreshore such as Old George,Chatfield at Rosebud West and Walter Burnham near the skateboard ramp area at the end of Boneo Rd. Although Henry Bucher was on the fishing village site in 1863, he was not assessed until the Rosebud Fishing Village was declared.

On Page 15 of ROSEBUD:FLOWER OF THE PENINSULA,Isobel Moresby started a discussion of old identities with:
Old George the Greek, massive and curly headed,sat on a bench outside his doorway. (Actually they were my limited notes.) I have found Isobel's book online. It has more description of Old George and the photo outside his hut (without a caption.) See my journal EARLY ROSEBUD, VIC., AUST.

ROSEBUD, Near Dromana.-Three-roomed furnished COTTAGE to LET. Apply to Edward Cairns, Rosebud.
(P.12,Argus,1-2-1896.)

Edward Cairns,the only descendant of the three original Cairns brothers to have this given name, still managed to acquire the nickname of Rosebud Ted despite the lack of need that existed in the case of Eleanora/Blacks Camp Davey, Carrier/Hill Harry etc. According to a map of early Rosebud,the above cottage was probably across McDowell St from the Safeway site. Ray Cairns mentioned Ted Cairns living on Blacks Camp Davey's grant across Boneo Rd from the Cape Schanck turn off but that was probably much later than 1906. It is likely that Ted made some money each summer by leasing his cottage to holiday makers with his own family roughing it for that period.

Rosebud Ted would have been back in the cottage well and truly by June each year, thus his unpleasant discovery in the fishing village.