Happy Highways

Garnet Vere (Jerry) Portus (1883-1954), historian and educator, was born on 7 June 1883 at Morpeth, New South Wales, youngest of eight children of Henry Dumaresq Portus, steamship company manager, and his wife Hannah, née Butler. He attended East Maitland High School in 1898-1900 and worked in the Department of Mines for three years before going to St Paul’s College at the University of Sydney (B.A., 1906; Rhodes scholar, 1907). At New College, Oxford (B.A., 1909; B.Litt., 1911; M.A., 1917), he studied history and economics under H. A. L. Fisher. A foundation scholar at the theological college at Hereford, he was made deacon in December 1910.

After returning to Sydney next year, Portus was a country parson as curate at Merriwa and rector at Cessnock. On 28 May 1912 he married Ethel Mary Ireland at St Bede’s, Drummoyne; they had one son. In 1914 Portus acted for