The Reverend Leonard Evenden Tranter was born on 15 January 1884 at Little River, a small town at the time between Melbourne and Geelong.

He was born into a large family of nine children. His parents were Charles Evenden Tranter, a school teacher, and Mary Ann Tranter (Roberts). Both migrated to Australia, as children around the 1850s. Charles from Luton, Bedfordshire, England.  Marianne migrated with her mother, sister and Grandmother, Maberley Smith when she was about 6 months old from Newport, Pagnell, England. Her father died in Pagnell before she was born. It was his wish that the family migrate to Tasmania. On the voyage the family were sailing from Melbourne to Launceston and were shipwrecked on King Island and stranded for two weeks. Marianne’s mother and sister did not survive. Marian was just an infant at the time.

Leonard's achievements are well known and documented. Considering his short life, he died at 45. Life wasn’t at all easy. Despite adverse health, which he lived with throughout his 45 years, he achieve such a great deal and placed himself in many physically challenging situations. Secondly, he displayed a Tranter trait of service and commitment to his world, which had been a part of the family culture for generations past. He was also a visionary, up for a challenge and very progressive in everything he did.

His peers reflected that “He had the soul of a “warrior” and was a “practical dreamer”.  “He battled to get his training for the ministry of the word; he battled to establish a school for Christian education” he battled in connection with every righteous and just cause; he battled against physical weakness….he would not acknowledge defeat. On top of this he was a man with a very “nervous disposition”.

His determination to establish a school is borne out by the fact that he persevered for over ten years to have his dream of a Christian boy’s school accepted by the Baptist Union of Victoria.

Leonard came from a very philanthropic line. In fact the Tranter ancestors for generations displayed a very high degree of generosity. Going back to the 1700s to Baldock, Bedfordshire.  Joseph Tranter, his Great Grandfather a well to do trader was known to regularly welcome less fortunate people into his house for meals and hospitality.  Another Tranter, by marriage, Fanny, started a school for widowed mothers in Baldock in a building now known as “Tranters Yard” Also, Leonards Father in Law, a God fearing man, donated the land for the building of the South Yarra Baptist Church in what is now Chapel Street Prahran. It is evident that Leonard was the beneficiary of a very generous family both on his side and that of his wife Hilda Augustus Wilson. He would not have had the means to prepare himself for the ministry if this were not the case. Also, both Leonard's Grandfathers were Baptist Ministers. William Tranter at Portland, Victoria and Joseph Roberts in Newport Pagnell, England.

Source: John Tranter