1912 in Australia
Encyclopedia
See also:
1911 in Australia
,
other events of 1912,
1913 in Australia
and the
Timeline of Australian history
.
1911 in Australia
1911 in Australia
See also:1910 in Australia,other events of 1911,1912 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor-General – William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley , then Thomas Denman, 3rd Baron Denman...
,
other events of 1912,
1913 in Australia
1913 in Australia
See also:1912 in Australia,other events of 1913,1914 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor-General – The Right Hon...
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 George VGeorge V of the United KingdomGeorge V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936.... - 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...
– The Right Hon. Thomas Denman, 3rd Baron DenmanThomas Denman, 3rd Baron DenmanThomas Denman, 3rd Baron Denman GCMG, KCVO, PC was a British Liberal politician and the fifth Governor-General of Australia.-Early years:... - 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...
– Andrew FisherAndrew FisherAndrew Fisher was an Australian politician who served as the fifth Prime Minister on three separate occasions. Fisher's 1910-13 Labor ministry completed a vast legislative programme which made him, along with Protectionist Alfred Deakin, the founder of the statutory structure of the new nation...
State premiers
- Premier of New South Wales – James McGowenJames McGowenJames Sinclair Taylor McGowen was an Australian politician and the first Labor Premier of New South Wales from 21 October 1910 to 30 June 1913.-Early life and family:...
- Premier of Queensland – Digby DenhamDigby DenhamDigby Frank Denham was an Australian politician, businessman and leading Queensland Orangeman. He was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1902 until 1915 representing the seat of Oxley, and was Premier of Queensland from 7 February 1911 to 1 June 1915...
- Premier of South Australia – John VerranJohn VerranJohn Verran was the 26th Premier of South Australia, serving from 1910 to 1912. The 1910 election saw the South Australian division of the Australian Labor Party form a majority government, the first time a party had done so in South Australia...
(until 17 February), then Archibald PeakeArchibald PeakeArchibald Henry Peake was an Australian politician and the 25th Premier of South Australia, serving on three separate occasions in the 1910s.-Early life and career:... - 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....
(until 14 June), then Albert SolomonAlbert SolomonAlbert Edgar Solomon was an Australian politician. He was Premier of Tasmania from 14 June 1912 to 6 April 1914.... - Premier of Victoria – John MurrayJohn Murray (Victorian politician)John Murray , Australian politician, was the 23rd Premier of Victoria.Murray was born near Koroit, Victoria, the son of James Murray and his wife Isabella, née Gordon, both Scottish immigrants. When Murray was a child his parents settled on a farm, Glenample station, at Port Campbell in the...
(until 18 May), then William WattWilliam WattWilliam Alexander Watt PC was an Australian politician who was the 24th Premier of Victoria, and later a leading federal politician and Speaker of the House of Representatives.... - 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...
– John ScaddanJohn ScaddanJohn Scaddan, CMG , popularly known as "Happy Jack", was Premier of Western Australia from 7 October 1911 until 27 July 1916.- Biography :...
State governors
- Governor of New South Wales – Frederic Thesiger, 1st Viscount ChelmsfordFrederic Thesiger, 1st Viscount ChelmsfordFrederic John Napier Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, GBE, PC was a British statesman who served as Governor of Queensland , Governor of New South Wales from 1909 to 1913, and Viceroy of India from 1916 to 1921, where he was responsible for the creation of the Montagu-Chelmsford...
- Governor of Queensland – Sir William MacGregorWilliam MacGregorSir William MacGregor GCMG, CB was a Lieutenant-Governor of British New Guinea, Governor of Newfoundland and Governor of Queensland.-Early life:...
- Governor of South Australia – Admiral Sir Day BosanquetDay BosanquetAdmiral Sir Day Hort Bosanquet GCVO, KCB was the Governor of South Australia from 18 February 1909 until 22 March 1914.-Naval career:Born in Alnwick in Northumberland, Bosanquet joined the Royal Navy in 1857...
- Governor of Tasmania – Major General Sir Harry BarronHarry BarronMajor General Sir Harry Barron KCMG, CVO was Governor of Tasmania from 1909 to 1913, and Governor of Western Australia from 1913 to 1917....
- Governor of Victoria – Sir John FullerSir John Fuller, 1st BaronetSir John Michael Fleetwood Fuller, 1st Baronet KCMG , was a British Liberal Party politician and colonial administrator....
- 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 Gerald StricklandGerald Strickland, 1st Baron StricklandGerald Strickland, 1st Baron Strickland, 6th Count of Catena, GCMG was a Maltese and British politician and peer, who served as Prime Minister of Malta, Governor of the Leeward Islands, Governor of Tasmania, Governor of Western Australia and Governor of New South Wales.-Early...
Events
- 6 January – http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page1294576 First aircraft crash in Australia, between Mount DruittMount Druitt, New South WalesMount Druitt is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mount Druitt is located 43 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown, and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region.There are numerous...
and Rooty HillRooty Hill, New South WalesRooty Hill is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Rooty Hill is located 42 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region.-History:Rooty Hill was named after...
http://www.blacktown.nsw.gov.au/our-city/history/the-region/important-dates_home.cfm - 1 March – The SS Koombana sinks off Western Australia during a cyclone, killing 149 persons.
- 24 April – The NSW government grants 43 acres (17.4 ha) of land for the construction of a zoological garden, later known as Taronga Park http://www.zoo.nsw.gov.au/content/view.asp?id=54
- 30 May – The light cruiser HMAS MelbourneHMAS Melbourne (1912)HMAS Melbourne was a Town class light cruiser operated by the Royal Australian Navy . Commissioned in 1913, the cruiser served during World War I. She was paid off in 1928, and broken up for scrap in 1929.-Design and construction:...
is launched. - 15 July – The first branch of the Commonwealth Bank opens.
- 19 September – An amended version of the coat of arms of AustraliaCoat of arms of AustraliaThe coat of arms of Australia is the official symbol of Australia. The initial coat of arms was granted by King Edward VII on 7 May 1908, and the current version was granted by King George V on 19 September 1912, although the 1908 version continued to be used in some contexts, notably appearing on...
is granted Royal AssentRoyal AssentThe granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
by King George VGeorge V of the United KingdomGeorge V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
. The Golden WattleGolden WattleAcacia pycnantha is Australia's floral emblem. It is a tree which flowers in late winter and spring, producing a mass of fragrant, fluffy, golden flowers.-Description:...
is declared Australia's floral emblemFloral emblemIn a number of countries, plants have been chosen as symbols to represent specific geographic areas. Some countries have a country-wide floral emblem; others in addition have symbols representing subdivisions. Different processes have been used to adopt these symbols - some are conferred by...
. - 10 October – The Maternity Allowance Act 1912 is passed, granting a "Baby BonusBaby BonusThe Baby Bonus is a government payment to parents of a newborn baby or adopted child to assist with the costs of childrearing.- Australia :The government of Andrew Fisher introduced a baby bonus of £5 per child in late 1912. The bonus was available irrespective of marital status and could also be...
" of five poundsAustralian poundThe pound was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 13 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. It was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.- Earlier Australian currencies :...
to the mother of every child born in Australia (indigenousIndigenous AustraliansIndigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
mothers and other non-citizens are excluded). - 12 October – Forty-two people die in the North Mount Lyell Disaster1912 North Mount Lyell DisasterThe 1912 North Mount Lyell Disaster refers to a fire that broke out on 12 October 1912 at the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company operations on the West Coast of Tasmania...
on the west coast of Tasmania. - Francis BirtlesFrancis BirtlesFrancis Edwin Birtles was an Australian adventurer, photographer, cyclist, and filmmaker, who set many long-distance cycling and driving records, including becoming in 1927 the first man to drive a car from England to Australia...
becomes the first person to cross the Nullarbor PlainNullarbor PlainThe Nullarbor Plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north. It is the world's largest single piece of limestone, and occupies an area of about...
by car.
Sport
- The 1912 NSWRFL Premiership is won by Eastern SuburbsSydney RoostersThe Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
- Piastre 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...
- Australia sends women to the Olympic GamesOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, the 1912 Summer Olympics1912 Summer OlympicsThe 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 5 May and 27 July 1912. Twenty-eight nations and 2,407 competitors, including 48 women, competed in 102 events in 14 sports...
in Stockholm, for the first time. AustralasiaAustralasiaAustralasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
won 2 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze medals1912 Summer Olympics medal countThis is the full table of the medal table of the 1912 Summer Olympics, held in Stockholm, Sweden. These rankings sort by the number of gold medals earned by a country. The number of silvers is taken into consideration next and then the number of bronze. If, after the above, countries are still...
. Fanny DurackFanny DurackSarah Frances "Fanny" Durack was an Australian swimmer. From 1910 until 1918 she was the world's greatest female swimmer of all distances from freestyle sprints to the mile marathon.-Life and career:...
won the 100 metres freestyle. Australasia won the men's 4x200m freestyle relay. - Essendon Bombers win the VFL Grand Final
Births
- 5 January – Doris CarterDoris CarterDoris Jessie Carter OBE was an Australian athlete who specialised in the high jump. She was the first Australian female track and field athlete to make an Olympic Games final....
, athlete (d. 1999) - 3 February – Jack MetcalfeJack MetcalfeJohn "Jack" Patrick Metcalfe was an Australian athlete who competed in high jump, long jump and javelin events, though he is best remembered as a triple jumper....
, athlete (d. 1994) - 7 February – Russell DrysdaleRussell DrysdaleSir George Russell Drysdale, AC was an Australian artist. He won the prestigious Wynne Prize for Sofala in 1947, and represented Australia at the Venice Biennale in 1954...
, artist (d. 1981) - 12 March – Kylie TennantKylie TennantKathleen Kylie Tennant AO was an Australian novelist, playwright, short-story writer, critic, biographer and historian.-Life and career:Tennant was born in Manly, New South Wales; she was educated at Brighton College in Manly and Sydney University, though she left without graduating...
, writer (d. 1988) - 28 May – Patrick WhitePatrick WhitePatrick Victor Martindale White , an Australian author, is widely regarded as an important English-language novelist of the 20th century. From 1935 until his death, he published 12 novels, two short-story collections and eight plays.White's fiction employs humour, florid prose, shifting narrative...
, writer (d. 1990) - 4 June – William DargieWilliam DargieSir William Alexander Dargie CBE was an Australian painter, known especially for his portrait paintings. He holds the record for the most Archibald Prize wins; eight. He was an official Australian War Artist during World War II.- Biography :William Dargie was born in Footscray, Victoria, the first...
, painter (d. 2003) - 1 August – David BrandDavid BrandSir David Brand KCMG was the 19th and longest serving Premier of Western Australia and a Member of the Legislative Assembly from 1945 to 1975.-Early life:...
, Premier of Western Australia (d. 1979) - 1 August – Damien ParerDamien ParerDamien Peter Parer was an Australian war photographer. He became famous for his war photography of the Second World War, and was killed by Japanese machinegun fire at Peleliu, Palau. He married Elizabeth Marie Cotter on 23 March 1944, and his son, producer Damien Parer, was born after his father...
, war photographer (d. 1944) - 2 August – Gwen PlumbGwen PlumbGwen Plumb AM BEM was a veteran Australian performer of stage, radio and television.-Biography:Gwendoline Jean Plumb was born in 1912...
, entertainer (d. 2002) - 18 November – Vic HeyVic HeyVic Hey born Liverpool, New South Wales, was an Australian rugby league national and state representative five-eighth and later a successful first-grade and national coach. His Australian club playing career commenced with the Western Suburbs Magpies and concluded with the Parramatta Eels. In...
(d. 1995), rugby league footballer and coach
Deaths
- 23 January – Martin Howy IrvingMartin Howy IrvingMartin Howy Irving was an English rower and educationist who spent nearly all his career in Australia .Irving was born in St Pancras, London, the son of Edward Irving, a major figure of the Catholic Apostolic Church, whom Carlyle called the "freest, brotherliest, bravest human soul mine ever came...
(b. 1831), educationist - 10 February – Thomas ReibeyThomas ReibeyThomas Reibey was an Australian politician and Premier of Tasmania from 20 July 1876 until 9 August 1877....
(b. 1821), Premier of Tasmania (1876–1877) - 20 February – Albert Bythesea WeigallAlbert Bythesea WeigallAlbert Bythesea Weigall CMG, was an English-born Australian schoolmaster, headmaster of Sydney Grammar School for 45 years.-Early life:...
(b. 1840), headmaster of Sydney Grammar SchoolSydney Grammar SchoolSydney Grammar School is an independent, non-denominational, selective, day school for boys, located in Darlinghurst, Edgecliff and St Ives, all suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.... - 11 March – William Austin ZealWilliam Austin ZealSir William Austin Zeal KCMG was an Australian railway engineer and politician.Zeal was born at Westbury, Wiltshire, England, the son of Thomas Zeal. Educated privately, Zeal obtained his diploma as a surveyor and engineer, and came to Melbourne in 1852...
(b. 1830), railway engineer and politician - 3 April – Philip ArgallPhilip ArgallPhilip Argall was a cricket Test match umpire.He umpired 7 Test matches between Australia and England...
(b. 1855), Test cricket umpire - 20 April – Charles HarperCharles HarperCharles Harper is the name of:*Charles Harper , pastoralist, newspaper proprieter and politician in colonial Western Australia*Charles Harper , Western Australian businessman and mayor of two local governments...
(b. 1842), pastoralist, newspaper proprieter and politician - 21 May – Mick GraceMick GraceMichael John Grace was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League and Victorian Football Association ....
(b. 1874), VFL footballer - 5 June – Francis James GillenFrancis James GillenFrancis James Gillen was an early Australian anthropologist and ethnologist.Gillen was born at Little Para South Australia. He entered the public service in 1867, and was employed as a postal messenger at Clare. He was transferred to Adelaide in 1871 where his duties also included telegraph...
(b. 1855), anthropologist and ethnologist - 25 June – William GuilfoyleWilliam GuilfoyleWilliam Robert Guilfoyle was a landscape gardener and botanist in Victoria, Australia, acknowledged as the architect of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne and was responsible for the design of many parks and gardens in Melbourne and regional Victoria.-Early life:Guilfoyle was born in Chelsea,...
(b. 1840), botanist - 27 June – George BonnorGeorge BonnorGeorge John Bonnor was an Australian cricketer, known for his big hitting, who played between 1880 and 1888.-Career:...
(b. 1855), cricketer - 29 June – Frederick Henry PiesseFrederick Henry PiesseFrederick Henry Piesse, CMG was a farmer, businessman and politician who is credited with much of the early development of the region around Katanning, Western Australia....
(b. 1853), businessman and politician - 13 September – Joseph FurphyJoseph FurphyJoseph Furphy , is widely regarded as the "Father of the Australian novel". He mostly wrote under the pseudonym Tom Collins, and is best known for his novel Such is Life , regarded as an Australian classic.-Biography:Furphy was born at Yering Station in Yering, Victoria...
(b. 1843), novelist who wrote under the pseudonym Tom Collins - 26 September – Joseph FurphyJoseph FurphyJoseph Furphy , is widely regarded as the "Father of the Australian novel". He mostly wrote under the pseudonym Tom Collins, and is best known for his novel Such is Life , regarded as an Australian classic.-Biography:Furphy was born at Yering Station in Yering, Victoria...
(b. 1842), writer - 29 September – James Charles CoxJames Charles CoxJames Charles Cox was an Australian physician and conchologist.Cox was born at Mulgoa, southwest of Sydney where he played with Aboriginal children and leared from them about native birds and animals. He was educated at the local parish school and the King's School, Parramatta...
(b. 1834), physician and conchologist - 18 November – Richard O'Connor (b. 1851), Senator and High Court judge
- 16 December – George RignoldGeorge RignoldGeorge Richard Rignold, born George Richard Rignall, was an English-born actor, active in Australia.-Early life:...
(b. 1839), English actor