1902 in Australia
Encyclopedia
See also:
1901 in Australia
,
other events of 1902,
1903 in Australia
and the
Timeline of Australian history
.
1901 in Australia
1901 in Australia
See also:1900 in Australia,other events of 1901,1902 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch — Queen Victoria , then Edward VII*Governor General — John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun...
,
other events of 1902,
1903 in Australia
1903 in Australia
See also:1902 in Australia,other events of 1903,1904 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – Edward VII*Governor General – John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun , then Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson...
and the
Timeline of Australian history
Timeline of Australian history
This is a timeline of Australian history.-BC:*c. 68,000–40,000 BC: Aboriginal tribes are thought to have arrived in Australia.*c. 13,000 BC: Land bridges between mainland Australia and Tasmania are flooded. Tasmanian Aboriginal people become isolated for the next 12,000 – 13,000 years.*c...
.
Incumbents
- MonarchMonarchy in AustraliaThe Monarchy of Australia is a form of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign of Australia. The monarchy is a constitutional one modelled on the Westminster style of parliamentary government, incorporating features unique to the Constitution of Australia.The present monarch is...
– King Edward VIIEdward VII of the United KingdomEdward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910... - Governor-GeneralGovernor-General of AustraliaThe Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
– John Hope, 7th Earl of HopetounJohn Hope, 1st Marquess of LinlithgowJohn Adrian Louis Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow KT, GCMG, GCVO, PC , also known as Viscount Aithrie before 1873 and as The 7th Earl of Hopetoun between 1873 and 1902, was a Scottish aristocrat, politician and colonial administrator. He is best known for his brief and controversial tenure as the... - Prime MinisterPrime Minister of AustraliaThe Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
– Edmund BartonEdmund BartonSir Edmund Barton, GCMG, KC , Australian politician and judge, was the first Prime Minister of Australia and a founding justice of the High Court of Australia....
State premiers
- Premier of New South Wales – John SeeJohn SeeSir John See, KCMG was a member of the New South Wales Legislature from 26 November 1880 to 15 June 1901, and was then Premier of New South Wales from 1901 to 1904....
- Premier of South Australia – John JenkinsJohn Jenkins (Australian politician)John Greeley Jenkins was an American-Australian politician and Premier of South Australia.Jenkins was the fourth son of Evan Jenkins and Mary Davis of South Wales, was born in Pennsylvania. He was educated at the Wyoming Seminary, Pa., and after working on his father's farm, became in 1872 a...
- Premier of Queensland – Robert PhilpRobert PhilpSir Robert Philp, KCMG was a Queensland businessman and politician who was Premier of Queensland from December 1899 to September 1903 and again from November 1907 to February 1908.-Early life:...
- Premier of Tasmania – Elliott LewisElliott LewisSir Neil Elliott Lewis, KCMG , Australian politician, was Premier of Tasmania on three occasions. He was also a member of the first Australian federal ministry, led by Edmund Barton....
- Premier of Western AustraliaPremier of Western AustraliaThe Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...
– George LeakeGeorge LeakeGeorge Leake CMG QC was Premier of Western Australia from 27 May 1901 to 21 November 1901, and again from 23 December 1901 until his death on 24 June 1902.-Early life:...
(until 1 July), then Walter JamesWalter JamesSir Walter Hartwell James KCMG KC was the fifth Premier of Western Australia and an ardent supporter of the federation movement.... - Premier of Victoria – Alexander PeacockAlexander PeacockSir Alexander James Peacock, KCMG , Australian politician, was the 20th Premier of Victoria.Peacock was born of Scottish descent at Creswick, the first Victorian Premier born after the gold rush of the 1850s and the attainment of self-government in Victoria. He was distantly related to the family...
(until 10 June), then William IrvineWilliam Irvine (Australian politician)Sir William Hill Irvine GCMG , Australian politician and judge, was the 21st Premier of Victoria. Irvine was born in Newry in County Down, Ireland, into a Scottish-Presbyterian family...
State governors
- Governor of New South Wales – Admiral Harry RawsonHarry RawsonAdmiral Sir Harry Holdsworth Rawson, GCB, GCMG RN , is chiefly remembered for overseeing the British Benin Expedition of 1897 that burned and looted the city of the Kingdom of Benin, now in Nigeria...
(from 27 May) - Governor of South Australia – Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron TennysonHallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron TennysonHallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson, GCMG, PC , the second Governor-General of Australia, was born at Chapel House, Twickenham, in Surrey, England. Named after his father's late friend Arthur Hallam, he was the elder son of Alfred Tennyson, the most popular and prominent poet of late Victorian...
(until 17 July) - Governor of Queensland – Major General Sir Herbert ChermsideHerbert ChermsideLieutenant-General Sir Herbert Charles Chermside GCMG, CB was a British soldier who served as Governor of Queensland in Australia from 1902 to 1904.-Early life and education:...
(from 24 March) - Governor of Tasmania – Captain Sir Arthur HavelockArthur HavelockSir Arthur Elibank Havelock, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE was a career British colonial governor, serving as Governor of Sierra Leone from 1880, of Natal, of Madras, of Ceylon from 1890 to 1895, and of Tasmania from 1901 to 1904....
- Governor of Western AustraliaGovernor of Western AustraliaThe Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;...
– Sir Arthur LawleyArthur Lawley, 6th Baron WenlockArthur Lawley, 6th Baron Wenlock, GCIE, KCMG was a British politician, soldier and administrator who served as the administrator of Matabeleland, Governor of Western Australia, Lieutenant-Governor of Transvaal and Governor of Madras.Lawley was born in 1860 to 2nd Baron Wenlock and his wife, Lady...
(until 14 August) - Governor of Victoria – Sir George ClarkeGeorge Clarke, 1st Baron Sydenham of CombeGeorge Sydenham Clarke, 1st Baron Sydenham of Combe GCSI, GCIE, GCMG, GBE was a British colonial administrator and British Army officer.-Background and education:Clarke was born in Lincolnshire...
Events
- 7 February – The Waterside Workers FederationMaritime Union of AustraliaThe Maritime Union of Australia covers waterside workers, seafarers, port workers, professional divers, and office workers associated with Australian ports. As of 2011 the union has about 13,000 members. It is an affiliate of the International Transport Workers' Federation and represents the...
is formed. - 31 May – The Second Boer WarSecond Boer WarThe Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
, in which Australia is involved, ends. - 12 June – The Commonwealth Franchise ActCommonwealth Franchise Act 1902The Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 was an Act of the Parliament of Australia which defined who was allowed to vote in Australian federal elections. The Act granted Australian women the right to vote at a national level, and to stand for election to the Parliament...
granted most Australian womenWomen and government in AustraliaFrom the turn of the 20th century, women have participated in government in Australia. Following federation, the government of the newly formed Commonwealth of Australia passed the Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 allowing most women to both vote and stand in the federal election of 1903...
the right to vote and stand in federal elections. - 31 July – A coal gasCoal gasCoal gas is a flammable gaseous fuel made by the destructive distillation of coal containing a variety of calorific gases including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and volatile hydrocarbons together with small quantities of non-calorific gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen...
explosion kills 96 in the Mount KemblaMount KemblaMount Kembla is a mountain in New South Wales, Australia, as well a semi-rural township of Wollongong, which gets its name from the mountain.Kembla is an Aboriginal word meaning "plenty of game"....
mining disaster - 1 August – New Idea magazine is first published.
- 3 November – Postmaster-General James DrakeJames DrakeJames George Drake , Australian politician, was a member of the first federal ministry.Drake was born in London and educated at King's College School, and migrated to Australia in 1873, working as a storekeeper and journalist in Queensland...
opens a submarine telegraph cable from SouthportSouthport, Queensland-Sport:The Southport Sharks Australian rules football club has a presence in the area, including a club and function centre.-Transport:The Broadwaterway is a foreshoreway that encourages pedestrians and cyclists to travel along the Broadwater foreshores of Southport.A ferry terminal is planned for...
, QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
to VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, completing a British EmpireBritish EmpireThe British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
communications line. - 18 December – The mayors of Sydney and Melbourne are conferred the title of Lord MayorLord MayorThe Lord Mayor is the title of the Mayor of a major city, with special recognition.-Commonwealth of Nations:* In Australia it is a political position. Australian cities with Lord Mayors: Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Parramatta, Perth, Sydney, and Wollongong...
- 26 December – BrisbaneBrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
is declared a city. - 26 December – Ada EvansAda EvansAda Emily Evans , Australian lawyer, was the first female law graduate in Australia.-Early life:Evans was born in Wanstead, England , the daughter of architect Henry Evans and his wife Louisa, who came from a family of lawyers...
becomes the first female law graduate in Australia.
Unknown dates
- The world's first successful pyritic smelting takes place at Mount LyellMount Lyell Mining and Railway CompanyMount Lyell Mining and Railway Company was a Tasmanian mining company formed on the 29 March 1893, most commonly referred to as Mount Lyell. Mount Lyell was the dominant copper mining company of the West Coast from 1893 to 1994, and was based in Queenstown, Tasmania.Following consolidation of...
, TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
Arts and literature
- 17 September – Opera singer Nellie MelbaNellie MelbaDame Nellie Melba GBE , born Helen "Nellie" Porter Mitchell, was an Australian operatic soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian Era and the early 20th century...
arrives in Brisbane for her first Australian tour after 16 years in Europe. - James WhiteJames White (sculptor)James White was an Australian sculptor, winner of the Wynne Prize in 1902.White was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, the son of Robert White, journeyman shipwright, and his wife Janet, née Dunn. White was apprenticed to a plasterer and studied modelling at South Kensington...
wins the Wynne PrizeWynne PrizeThe Wynne Prize is an Australian landscape painting or figure sculpture art prize. One of Australia's longest running art prizes, it was established in 1897 from the bequest of Richard Wynne...
with his bronze sculpture In Defence of the Flat
Sport
- 27 September – CollingwoodCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
wins the 1902 VFL grand final1902 VFL seasonResults and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1902.-Premiership season:In 1902, the VFL competition consisted of eight teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume...
, defeating EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
9.6 (60) to 3.9 (27) at the first final to be held at the Melbourne Cricket GroundMelbourne Cricket GroundThe Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
before a record crowd of 35,000. - 11 November – The Victory wins the Melbourne CupMelbourne CupThe Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races...
- New South Wales wins the Sheffield ShieldPura CupThe Sheffield Shield is the domestic cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Prior to the Shield being established, a number of intercolonial matches were played. The Shield, donated by Lord Sheffield, was first contested during...
Births
- 15 January – Dan DempseyDan DempseyDan Dempsey was an Australian rugby league national and Queensland state representative player. He played his career at Hooker and is considered one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century.-Club career:...
(d. 1960), rugby league footballer - 25 February – Vince GairVince GairVincent Clare "Vince" Gair was an Australian politician. He served as Premier of Queensland from 1952 until 1957, when his stormy relations with the trade union movement saw him expelled from the Australian Labor Party. He was elected to the Australian Senate and led the Democratic Labor Party...
(d. 1980), politician - 2 May – Alan Marshall (d. 1984), writer
- 22 May – Leslie HerronLeslie HerronSir Leslie James Herron, KBE, CMG, KStJ was a prominent Australian barrister, judge, chief justice and lieutenant governor of New South Wales. Biographer Martha Rutledge describes him as being “interested, interesting and with a lively sense of humour”, but that he “conducted his court with...
(d. 1973), Chief Justice of NSW - 12 July – Vic ArmbrusterVic ArmbrusterLouis Victor "Vic" Armbruster was an Australian rugby league footballer for New South Wales, Queensland and Australia. He is considered one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century...
(d. 1984), rugby league footballer - 17 July – Christina SteadChristina SteadChristina Stead was an Australian novelist and short-story writer acclaimed for her satirical wit and penetrating psychological characterisations.-Biography:...
(d. 1983), writer - 28 July – Albert NamatjiraAlbert NamatjiraAlbert Namatjira , born Elea Namatjira, was an Australian artist. He was a Western Arrernte man, an Indigenous Australian of the Western MacDonnell Ranges area...
(d. 1959), painter
Deaths
- 27 February – Breaker MorantBreaker MorantHarry 'Breaker' Harbord Morant was an Anglo-Australian drover, horseman, poet, soldier and convicted war criminal whose skill with horses earned him the nickname "The Breaker"...
(b. 1864), soldier - 6 March – Frederick William PiesseFrederick William PiesseFrederick William Piesse was a member of the first Australian federal parliament.Born in Hobart, Tasmania, Piesse worked in law, conveyancing, shipping and horticulture before being elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly as the Member for North Hobart in 1893 before representing the Tasmanian...
(b. 1848), member of the federal parliament for Tasmania - 24 June – George LeakeGeorge LeakeGeorge Leake CMG QC was Premier of Western Australia from 27 May 1901 to 21 November 1901, and again from 23 December 1901 until his death on 24 June 1902.-Early life:...
(b. 1856), Premier of Western Australia