WHEN businessman and animal lover George Bills died in 1927, the days of horse and cart traversing country roads around Australia were already in decline.
The motor car had gained huge popularity after World War One and Henry Ford’s T-Model Ford was being shipped to Australia in their hundreds.
The number of coachbuilders, wheelwrights and blacksmiths was dwindling, some converted businesses to sell cars and staff retrained as motor mechanics.
But Bills’ will was clear: Establish a trust to “construct and erect and pay for horse troughs wherever they may be of the opinion that such horse troughs are desirable for the relief of horses and other dumb animals either in Australasia, in the British Islands or in any other part of the world subject to the consent of the proper authorities being obtained.”
Historians have written that the lean years on the family farm between Moama and Torrumbarry in the 1870s, George’s father witnessed the suffering of animals with little food and water, and this no doubt impacted the way he saw the animal world.
While George’s father was not in a position to do much himself at that time, he resolved to help animals if and when he could. As providence would have it, his wish would eventually be fulfilled through the life of his son George, who knew of his father’s caring ambition.
A decade later, George Bills moved to Brisbane and opened a small bird dealership where his brother Henry was also in business.
They later had a mattress wire weaving factory and moved to Sydney. They patented their own weaving machine, a patent that paid off handsomely for the family. The family went from barely making ends meet, to earning a small fortune. 
The business, which had previously traded as Henry Bills, was renamed in March 1898 to Bills Brothers.
George became active in the Society for the Protection of Animals in England, New Zealand and Australia and was awarded life membership of what became known as the RSPCA.
After the death of his wife Annis, George Bills moved to Melbourne where he died. Historians have written that George was a charitable man and had a reputation for constantly reaching out to people in need. He also had a deep compassion for the welfare of animals and it was this love that saw him finance the production of concrete horse troughs with more than £80,000 left in the will.
Within six years, more than 250 troughs have already been made although the first trough in his honour is believed to be in Centennial Park, Sydney, which was donated three years before George died.
Later there was a standard, more ornate design as seen across Loddon communities, pre-cast concrete with steel reinforcements.
Most of the troughs made in Victoria had three moulded front panels and panels moulded on the rear. Troughs made in New South Wales had four panels on the front and five on the back. 
Victorian troughs were made by a Bills’ relative, J H Phillips. Later, other manufactures for the trust’s troughs included Rocla Concrete Pipes Ltd, in Auburn Road, Hawthorn, who produced to the same original design until World War Two.
These concrete water troughs were produced for the wellbeing of thirsty horses and some provided lower drinking containers on the side for dogs and smaller animals.
Locally, there are troughs in the region at Timor, Maryborough, Majorca, Talbot, Dunolly, Wedderburn, Carisbrook, and Tarnagulla.
At Inglewood, the trough has been relocated to the Lions Park painted and used as a large flower pot.
More than 700 troughs were installed in towns across Australia, an estimated 50 made their way overseas. Each with the inscription “Donated by Annis and George Bills Australia”.
Today it is estimated that 300 troughs survive even if in different locations.
Bridgewater is near the river, Pyramid Hill’s now at the historical museum and Tarnagulla at the sports ground.
How did the troughs come to be erected in Loddon towns. The local councils had to provide foundations and a water supply  and apply to the Bills Trust for a trough. 
And the caring nature of George Bills, known as Joe, extended beyond animals.
Researcher Laura Breen wrote in 2014: “According to unpublished family recollections kindly supplied to me by Bills horse trough researcher Mr George Gemmill, Joe’s generosity also extended to human hardship. He reportedly arranged for the construction of a shelter for waiting rail passengers at Kilmore,and a shelter for hansom cab drivers in Melbourne’s Russell St to keep the rain off while they waited for theatre patrons.
“The hardy construction of these troughs  has allowed significant numbers to survive in towns and cities across Australia, albeit few that are fully functional. Towards the end of the 20th century, local interest in the troughs was revived and a small body of enthusiasts have undertaken extensive research into surviving examples,” she has written.
George Bills did not have children. In 1885 he married Annis Swann, a woman who shared his sympathetic attitude toward animal rights.
The troughs that survive are his lasting gift to the welfare of animals as much to his wife, the first named on every plaque on those troughs that have survived for almost a  century.