Bill loved cricket and played in his younger days, becoming quite well known and winning medals for his prowess in the sport. He was also a musician and was the solo tenor cornetist with the newly formed Lord Nelson Brass Band. The band was held in high esteem, winning many competitions over the years. As well as the cornet, he also played the accordion and bagpipes. His favourite song was ‘The Wee Doch and Doris’, an obvious tribute to his grandfather’s hotel in Mt Egerton. He would sing it with a twinkle in his eye whilst twirling and lifting his kilt. The girls would try and see what he was wearing under his kilt – if anything! Bill really loved playing his cherished cornet and it broke his heart when the day came later in his life when he did not have the breath to play.

It is told that Bill was popular with many and was often called on to act as the Master of Ceremonies at functions. A bit of a trickster, he loved telling jokes and playing tricks. As a hobby, he enjoyed mending watches and clocks. He was known to sit for hours, taking them apart and putting them back together. Among his tools for this hobby were a jar of kerosene and a feather to clean the works.

William Silas Davidson passed away at Mildura in 1945 at the age of 69. He was buried in Mildura’s Old Cemetery, after the funeral cortege had passed by his home in Irymple Street on its way to the cemetery.

Bill’s wife, Rachel, was known as the ‘Queen’ of the family. She loved her gardening and needlework and had a gift for making beautiful clothes. After her husband's death, she returned to Melbourne where she lived in Blackburn with her youngest daughter and son-in-law, Elva and Alan Birch. Rachel died at the grand old age of 94 in 1974 and was cremated at Springvale Botanical Cemetery.