The son of Maryborough Chronicle editor William Swain Roberts (1830-1880) and his wife Harriet Lally Illidge (1841-1933), George Illidge Roberts was born in Maryborough, one of eight children, three of whom died young. He married Ada Beatrice Bubb in 1894, and himself had seven children (six sons and one daughter), all of whome survived their parents.
George Roberts' father, William Roberts, had bought the Chronicle on 2 April 1863 from C.H. Buzacott: from that point, his obituary states, he 'was closely identified with every movement the furtherance of the welfare of the town and its neighbourhood' (p.2). George himself joined the staff as office boy in 1879 and became editor and leader writer in 1891: he served in that capacity until 1924, when he retired after 45 years on the Chronicle's staff. He made a particular study of astronomy and bibliology: in the case of the latter, he wrote a range of special articles on biblical questions, using the pen-name 'Bible Student'.
Like his father, he was a strong supporter of town and district requirements: his obituary notes that 'His long and sustained advocacy breathed the spirit of faith and optimism in Maryborough and the Wide Bay and Burnett district' (p.8).
Sources:
'Death of Mr. G. I. Roberts', Maryborough Chronicle, 13 October 1938, p.8.
'George Illidge Roberts', Geneanet [sighted 11/5/2021].
'[Obituary of Mr William Swain Roberts]', Maryborough Chronicle, 9 November 1880, p.2.
