William Moore was born in 1859 in the Brisbane suburb of Milton.  He was the third son of another William Moore the Baptist minister at the Milton Church.

One of the first government scholarship holders he completed an outstanding record at Brisbane Grammar School.  It was here that he received the name Jerry, when the master, much to the amusement of the class, asked if William was the son of Jeremiah Moore who lived near the school!

Moore matriculated from Sydney University but he moved to Melbourne to attend the University Of Melbourne Medical School to satisfy his profound interest in medicine.  With him in 1879, aged eighteen, he carried a letter of introduction to a Pastor Poole, the minister of the Emerald Hill (now South Melbourne) Baptist Church.  Later he married Pooles’ daughter Grace Emily.

In 1883 he graduated in medicine with the highest honours, also being fluent in French, Italian, and German medical literature.  At the same time he received the first Master of Surgery ever awarded from the Melbourne University.

Appointed to the Melbourne Hospital, he there introduced Listerian antiseptic techniques, thereby reducing the mortality rate of abdominal surgery from 80% to 10%.

It is generally recognised today that Moore, in many aspects of surgery, was fifty years ahead of his time.  Probably the first ever book published on plastic surgery in the English language titled “Plastic Surgery” was published by him in 1899.

Known as Jerry by his contemporaries he was prominent in the affairs of his profession. He served on the Councils of the Medical Society of Victoria and the Victorian branch of the British Medical Association and was involved in the founding of the Medical Students Society.

He took up residence in Alcaston House, corner of Collins and Spring Street establishing his practice at 2 Collins Street.

During World War I with the rank of Honorary Colonel, he gave valuable services in the military hospitals at St. Kilda and Caulfield.

Jerry was regarded as rather a loner in professional circles, possibly due to his outstanding success as a specialist in his fields of medical activities.  He was a most self–reliant person, outspoken in matters of principle and somewhat intolerant of other viewpoints.  

He loved cricket and was president of the University Cricket Club, and for many years captain and wicket–keeper of his own well known team, “The Medicos”. 

It was said that cricket, the Church and surgery were his only interests and of these he often told his friends, he liked cricket best of all.

Almost three city blocks west of Dr. William Moore’s residence and medical practice stood the Collins Street Baptist Church.  William Moore was a staunch Baptist and nearby was his church where he was a member for some fifty years and a dedicated Elder.  He was a leading light in all affairs of the Baptist Union of Victoria especially its financial matters.  He was President of the Baptist Theological College.

Rev. Leonard E. Tranter’s early manhood years in Canada convinced him how vital to a religious denomination was a progressive education system.  The story of his long and difficult struggle to convince the Baptist Union of this necessity is written and acknowledged elsewhere as is his ultimate triumph.

One of his supporters in his appeal for a Baptist school was Dr.  William Moore.  He was an active and wise member, Chairman of some of the meetings of the Committee set up to further this object.  He was a person who never seemed to have any doubts about anything, including religion and his absolute sincerity of his views and actions were recognised.  Here then was an advocate in strong support of the establishment of a boys’ school in Melbourne.  As an earnest of his own determination to achieve such an outcome, on November 16th 1920, the first donation to the funds was received from Dr. William Moore.  He became the first President of the Council of Carey Baptist Grammar School.

In the grounds of Carey, by the 1884 house ‘Urangeline’ on Saturday February 10th 1923, Mrs. Moore wife of Dr. Moore, the President, formally declared the School open by turning the symbolic key.  In a very brief speech she stressed the definite Christian ideals which are integral in our education policy, and expressed her conviction that the boys who spent their impressionable years in Carey would become good and great men.

Saturday 31st January 1925, the President of the Council Dr. William Moore declared the foundation stone of the new Preparatory School, ‘well and truly laid’, and was presented with the traditional silver trowel.  It was his last formal function as President–at a subsequent meeting of the Council that same day he submitted his resignation.  He was then described as, ‘the hardest and most indefatigable of the School’s enthusiastic workers.’ He proceeded overseas. 

He was succeeded as President by Mr.  A. F. Fullard.  Dr. Moore died on Thursday, September 8th 1927, after a brief illness. His funeral service took place in the Box Hill Cemetery the following day.  Members of the School Council, staff and Old Boys were among those who attended.

Dr. William Moore is recognised and permanently acknowledged at Carey by the name Moore House, one of the first three Houses named and inaugurated at the commencement of year 1924.