George Mayo

George Mayo (8 January 1807 – 16 December 1894) was a medical practitioner in the colony of South Australia.

Dr. Mayo was born in England the fourth son of Rev. Joseph Mayo, M.A., of Ozleworth Church, Gloucestershire. He studied medicine at Middlesex Hospital under Dr. Herbert Mayo (1796–1852), and became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in London in January 1829. For some years he practised at Devizes, Wiltshire, then emigrated to South Australia, arriving in the Lady Emma in December 1837. Soon afterwards he returned to England, but came back to the colony on the Asia in July 1839. He returned again to England 1851–1852, when he was admitted as a Fellow of the R.C.S. He was appointed hon. medical officer at the Adelaide Hospital on 13 October 1853, and upon the death of Dr. R. W. Moore he became President of the Medical Board. He was appointed to the Central Vaccine Board in October 1857 and in January 1868 was appointed to the Adelaide Hospital board of management. On 24 November 1876, he was made Hon. Consulting Surgeon to the Hospital.

He was an enthusiastic member of the South Australia's Voluntary Defence Force: in 1859 he was captain of the West Adelaide Rifles, and by August 1863 was lieutenant-colonel. He was one of the original trustees of Trinity Church, and laid the foundation stone of the schoolroom on 7 May 1887.

He was somewhat eccentric and extremely averse to publicity; his only photograph was one in a group taken many years before his death. He was an enthusiast for physical exercise and a keen cyclist; in later life converting to a three-wheeler, in which he would regularly ride to Glenelg or North Adelaide. He was for some years a Vice-President of several cycling clubs.