George Cuscaden owned the new terrace of 12 wooden houses built at the Clark Street end of Farrell Street to replace the Slaven cottages. These were numbers 143 to 167 . He owned them from when they were built in 1902-3. Some of them he sold after about 10 years and a few remained in his ownership until 1920.

George was a Port Melbourne councillor from 1893 to 1897 and Mayor of the City 1896-97.

At that time he was a medical practitioner with consulting rooms at 348 Bay Street, almost opposite the Town Hall. This unusual and imposing brick building is still there and in very good order.

Dr Cuscaden was also the medical health officer for the City of South Melbourne. In the terrible influenza epidemic after World War 1 he was one of the people responsible for organising the emergency hospital in Montague Street. In the 1920s he campaigned for local government action to improve the health of infants through the appointment of Infant Welfare Nurses and the establishment of Infant Welfare clinics.

It is thought he was knighted for his work with ex-servicemen.