He was also a serious trader in real estate, but went bankrupt in the recession that accompanied the drought of 1864–1867[1] and in 1868 moved with his wife, three sons and a daughter to Victoria, out of reach of his creditors.
An accountant, he moved to Whanganui, New Zealand, where he married, then to Warrnambool and Ararat where, according to at least one reference he had a penurious existence.
[2] He then settled in Koroit, Victoria, serving as secretary of the local Racing Club, in 1896 part-owner of the Koroit Sentinel (previously that paper's reporter and sub-editor), longtime secretary of the Mechanics' Institute, from 1909 or earlier served as Commonwealth Electoral Registrar for the region, appointed JP in 1914.
The church building was considerably damaged in the Adelaide earthquake of 1 March 1954, and plans were made to have it demolished and replaced with something more modern.
[2] Edward James Frederick Crawford (7 December 1809 – 15 May 1880) Adelaide brewer married (1) Mary Ann Scott (2) Frances Mitchell ( – 1 April 1877) in Sydney on 31 July 1841.