George William Hannaford (4 January 1852 – 7 November 1927) was a South Australian orchardist, pioneer of the apple export trade.
George William Hannaford was born in Hartley Valley, near Gumeracha, the third son of George Williams Hannaford. He was educated at Tungkillo along with his brothers and sisters, boarding in the town during the week and returning home for the weekends.[1] At age fifteen he and his two elder brothers John (1849–1909) and Samuel (1850–1943) left to establish a farm at Riverton. In 1873 he purchased a property at Oyster Bay (now Stansbury). In 1875 he married, and they left Riverton for the Yorke Peninsula property, which they named "Hoowoodgee", and grew wheat, in rotation with lucerne or mustard.
He was for a time manager of the Government experimental farm at Mannahill.[2]
In 1880 they moved to "Dingo Vale" Cudlee Creek, where he established an apple and pear orchard and an apiary of some 100 hives, founded by queen bees he imported from Italy.[1] In 1897 Hannaford dispatched 100 cases of apples to London as refrigerated cargo per Orotava. They arrived in first class condition and fetched premium prices.[3] He was also a pioneer of exporting fruit to Germany.
He retired to Kent Town, where he died. His remains were interred in the family vault, Cudlee Creek Cemetery.[4]
George Hannaford, a descendant of Susannah Hannaford, married Bertha Hayler Whibley, née Linfield, (2 February 1844 – 31 August 1923) in 1876; lived at "Dingo Vale", Cudlee Creek, then "Concord", Paradise, then Kent Town. Their family included: