ALMOST 140 years after William Abednego Thompson died many Bendigonians would not be able to tell you he was the man their town is named after.
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But he was a household name for most of the 19th century.
This Sunday marks 140 years since the bare knuckle boxer nicknamed "Bendigo" died in the United Kingdom aged 68.
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Bendigo is a corruption of "Abednego" that some believe relates to his bendy physique.
History buff Tom Luke said Bendigonians should learn more about Thompson, but understands why so many did not know about that and other founding stories from the city's past.
"Things get all mixed up (over time)," he said.
"Where did all the gold come from? What Bendigo bigger than Ballarat? Was it bigger than Castlemaine? It gets to be a mess (in people's collective memory). A gooey, gooey mess."
Thompson was twice crowned the English heavyweight champion during a boxing career stretching from 1832 to 1850.
He struggled with alcohol following his retirement before finding God and becoming a Wesleyan preacher.
People appear to have named Bendigo after Thompson in the 1840s when it became part of a sprawling sheep farm later known as Ravenswood Run.
One of the run's shepherds was a boxing enthusiast and was often stationed at a hut overlooking a watercourse they began calling Bendigo Creek.
"Their sheep grazed on what is now the City of Greater Bendigo," Mr Luke said.
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He said little was known about the shepherd, though a number of people believed they were likely his descendants.
Mr Luke, a genealogist, was yet to see enough evidence to say whether they were right.
"I always say this: if they couldn't decide who discovered gold in 1850 back in 1890, there's no way they are going to discover it in 2020," he said, referring to another debate about Bendigo's past.
"Bendigo" was one of three names the city had in its 170-year history, along with "Castleton" and "Sandhurst".
Residents always preferred the name "Bendigo" to any of the alternatives, Mr Luke said.
They overwhelmingly voted to change it from "Sandhust" to "Bendigo" in a public poll taken in 1891.
"I don't know what they liked about the name Bendigo. I'll tell you this, though, I like it. It sort of rings a bell for me," Mr Luke said.
Tom O'Callaghan
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
