Henry died at the age of 90 in 1887. He was the last of the initial twelve councillors elected in 1842 who formed the Corporation of the City of Melbourne. His obituary records that he was among the earliest of the free settlers in Tasmania, having arrived there in 1825 with the inducement offered by the British Government of a grant of land under land warrants. Once he moved to Melbourne in 1839, 'he commenced a butcher's business, which he carried on successfully for many years, but his favourite pursuit was ship owning. He opened up a lucrative trade in fruit with the South Sea Islands, and subsequently he and his sons were the first to open the sugar trade between Melbourne and Mauritius'.³⁵

Photograph of William Henry Mortimer in T F Chuck, The explorers and early colonists of Victoria, 1872. Pictures Collection, State Library of Victoria

Unhappily the last years of Henry's life were clouded by loss of sight. He was blind for nearly fifteen years and was unable to participate in the active life to which he was accustomed. Yet he retained his mental powers until the last, dying on 21 July at the home of his son-in-law, Mr JR Brennand, JP, Toorak Road, South Yarra.³⁶

Conclusion
Most of the twenty-five applicants for the position of Deputy Registrar for Collingwood mentioned their current or previous occupations. Amongst them were two deputy registrars, JE Dobson from Ararat,³⁷ and John Tulloch from Prahran.³⁸ DC Forrest had worked in the Department of Roads and Bridges.³⁹ There were two booksellers: a bookseller/storekeeper and a bookseller/stationer/newsagent. Applicants also mentioned the number of years they had spent in the colony: Mayor TT Greenwood had been resident for fifteen years;⁴⁰ Robert Black five years;⁴¹ David Hume Ross twenty-five years; while F Lawrence Webb, late Major 43rd Regiment in India, had been one of the earliest to arrive, in 1842.⁴² Names of 'Honourable Gentlemen' were peppered throughout the applications.⁴³

Some applicants offered odd endorsements of their suitability, such as 'I am well suited to more arduous duties … you will believe me when you read my name' (signed William Baxter⁴⁴), and 'it may not be out of place to mention that I am a member of the Collingwood Rifle Club' (signed Thomas Robinson⁴⁵). From the application of JT Tulloch we learn that his son had written his letter of support on letterhead of the Melbourne Railway Company, stating that his father was the 'Oldest Registrar in Melbourne, with a family of young children to support'.

A few applications mentioned a Mr Archer (William Archer was the creator of the Victorian civil registration system). The application of WA Sparling for the position at Prahran is typical: 'Mr. Archer has directed me to apply to you for the application of the Deputy Registrar for Prahran and he kindly promised to use his influence with you to procure for me the appointment'.⁴⁶ Mr A Guillaume thought that the job was his when he said 'I was promised the reversion of this position by the late Chief Secretary on the recommendation of Sir Henry Barkly'.⁴⁷

It is evident after examining all the applications for the position of Deputy Registrar of Births and Deaths at both Collingwood and Prahran that while many of the applicants had testimonials or petitions, others only had occupations to boast of and a few stated cases of need, indicating the lack of social services available at this time. Old age pensions did not appear until 1908, and unemployment benefits were not introduced until 1945. However, the most relevant qualification seems to have been the length of time spent in the colony, combined with the importance of the applicant's supporters. Henry William Mortimer certainly had both, hence his successful application. It was then, as it often is today, a case of not what - but who - you know.