James George Membrey was born at Scotchman’s Lead, near Ballarat in 1862 and he resided for 20 years in the mining town of Napoleons where his parents carried on business as general storekeepers and post office.
Membrey moved to Northcote in 1884, originally working as a plasterer and briefly as a builder before becoming Valuer for the Northcote Town Council. He then became a partner in a real estate agency partnership with William Deane in Queen Street, Melbourne
James Membrey succeeded Mr. Harry Beard as the representative of Jika Jika in 1907 and became the district’s first political representative to actually live in the electorate with the family in residence at “Clanaston”, Merri Street.
Membrey’s achievements for his electorate after many years of neglect during its attachment to the East Bourke Borough included large grants from the Government for drainage works, schools and parks, and the introduction of a Parliamentary Bill authorizing the extension of the North Fitzroy tramway through Northcote to East and West Preston.
He also served on Royal Commissions investigating the electrification of the steam railways and likewise the switch of the tramways from cable traction to electricity.
On July 20, 1914, Mr. Membrey was elected an honorary Minister in the Victorian Government, The Northcote Leader at the time noting his 84 year-old mother was living with the family in Merri Street – she, however, died in November of that year and at the time both Membrey’s wife and a daughter Carrie were seriously ill with pneumonia. Despite the family difficulties and being unable to campaign, Membrey retained his seat comfortably.
James Membrey amongst many other roles was the Chairman of the State War Council for the duration of the war and spent much of his later political life championing the campaign for recruitment despite the loss of his eldest son, Claude at Villers Bretounneux, France in August 1916 (image below). 
Despite the loss of his son, Membrey still managed to feature at recruiting drives, fund raisers and the unveiling of memorial and honour boards at what appears to be on a twice-weekly basis.
He was somewhat surprisingly defeated in the 1917 State election by John Cain, senior, but continued to serve the Northcote and Preston districts for many years as a member of Melbourne Tramways Board where he agitated strongly for tramway workshops to be built in Preston rather than extensions to existing facilities in Richmond, and as Chairman of the Exhibition Building Trustees, the Queen’s Memorial Infectious Diseases Hospital in Fairfield and the Royal Park and Zoological Gardens Trust.
In his private and local community life, Membrey resided for 55 years in Northcote and Preston. He originally was with the Primitive Methodist Church in Mitchell Street (later occupied by the Salvation Army) and later High Street, Northcote, Methodist Church where at various times he filled virtually every office from Sunday School Superintendent to Trustee, also leading the Young Men’s Improvement class for 15 years.
James Membrey died on November 12, 1940 at his home in King William Street, Preston aged 78 years after an illness of around five months. He left a widow, Elizabeth Pearce (nee Carvosoe), three daughters, Caroline (“Carrie”), Beatrice (later Mrs. E. D. Riddle ,King William Street, Preston and Alice (Mrs. E. Kirton*, Raleigh Street Northcote), and three sons, Albert, James (A.I.F) and Edward.
He was buried in Heidelberg Cemetery at a private ceremony following a service at the High Street Methodist Church.
*Alice Membrey married Ernest Kirton in Victoria in 1918 (Registration number 6369).
Image: Preston Park, 1906.
I am the great grandson of James Membrey. David John Kirton. I note that Alice was married to Ernest Kirton and not Kirkton.