1924 in Australia
Encyclopedia
See also:
1923 in Australia
,
other events of 1924,
1925 in Australia
and the
Timeline of Australian history
.
1923 in Australia
1923 in Australia
See also:1922 in Australia,other events of 1923,1924 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor General – Henry Forster*Prime Minister – Billy Hughes , then Stanley Bruce...
,
other events of 1924,
1925 in Australia
1925 in Australia
See also:1924 in Australia,other events of 1925,1926 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor-General – Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster then John Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven...
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...
– Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster - 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...
– Stanley BruceStanley BruceStanley Melbourne Bruce, 1st Viscount Bruce of Melbourne, CH, MC, FRS, PC , was an Australian politician and diplomat, and the eighth Prime Minister of Australia. He was the second Australian granted an hereditary peerage of the United Kingdom, but the first whose peerage was formally created...
State premiers
- Premier of New South Wales – Sir George FullerGeorge Fuller (Australian politician)Sir George Warburton Fuller KCMG was Premier of New South Wales, Australia on two occasions during the 1920s. His first term of office lasted less than one day ; his second lasted from 13 April 1922 to 17 June 1925.-Early life:Fuller was born in Kiama, New South Wales and was educated at Kiama...
- Premier of Queensland – Ted TheodoreTed TheodoreEdward Granville Theodore was an Australian politician. He was Premier of Queensland 1919–25, a federal politician representing a New South Wales seat 1927–31, and Federal Treasurer 1929–30.-Early life:...
- Premier of South Australia – Henry BarwellHenry BarwellSir Henry Newman Barwell KCMG was the 28th Premier of South Australia.Born in Adelaide, South Australia, Barwell was educated at St Peter's College and Adelaide University, graduating in law...
(until 16 April), then John GunnJohn Gunn (Australian politician)John Gunn was the 29th Premier of South Australia.Gunn was born in Bendigo, Victoria, the second of nine children to a Scottish miner and his wife... - Premier of Tasmania – Joseph LyonsJoseph LyonsJoseph Aloysius Lyons, CH was an Australian politician. He was Labor Premier of Tasmania from 1923 to 1928 and a Minister in the James Scullin government from 1929 until his resignation from the Labor Party in March 1931...
- Premier of Victoria – Harry LawsonHarry LawsonSir Harry Sutherland Wightman Lawson KCMG , Australian politician, was the 27th Premier of Victoria.Lawson was born in Dunolly, the son of a Presbyterian clergyman of Scottish descent. He was educated at a local school and then briefly Scotch College in Melbourne. He was a noted Australian rules...
(until 28 April), then Sir 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 18 July), then George PrendergastGeorge PrendergastGeorge Michael Prendergast , Australian politician, was the 28th Premier of Victoria. He was born to Irish emigrant parents in Adelaide, but he grew up in Stawell in the Wimmera district of Victoria...
(until 18 November), then John AllanJohn Allan (Australian politician)John Allan , Australian politician, was the 29th Premier of Victoria. He was born near Lancefield, where his father was a farmer of Scottish origin, and educated at state schools. He took up wheat and dairy farming at Wyuna and was director of a butter factory at Kyabram... - 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...
– James MitchellJames Mitchell (Australian politician)Sir James Mitchell GCMG was the 13th Premier of Western Australia, serving on two occasions, the Lieutenant-Governor of Western Australia for 15 years and the 22nd Governor of Western Australia....
(until 16 April), then Philip CollierPhilip CollierPhilip Collier was Premier of Western Australia for nine years, the longest ever term for an Australian Labor Party premier....
State governors
- Governor of New South Wales – Sir Dudley de ChairDudley de ChairAdmiral Sir Dudley Rawson Stratford de Chair, KCB, KCMG, KBE, MVO was a Naval Officer and Governor. De Chair joined the Royal Navy from the age of 16 and served in the Anglo-Egyptian War and later as an Admiral in the First World War. He was appointed as Governor of New South Wales in 1923...
(from 28 February) - Governor of Queensland – Sir Matthew NathanMatthew NathanLieutenant-Colonel Sir Matthew Nathan GCMG, PC was a British soldier and civil servant, who variously served as the Governor of Sierra Leone, Gold Coast, Hong Kong, Natal and Queensland...
- Governor of South Australia – Sir Tom Bridges
- Governor of Tasmania – Sir James O'GradyJames O'GradySir James O'Grady, KCMG was a trade unionist and Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was the first colonial governor appointed by the Labour Party from within its own ranks.- Early life :...
(from 24 December) - Governor of Victoria – George Rous, 3rd Earl of StradbrokeGeorge Rous, 3rd Earl of StradbrokeGeorge Edward John Mowbray Rous, 3rd Earl of Stradbroke KCMG CB CVO CBE VD TD was a British noble and the 15th Governor of Victoria, Australia....
- 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 Francis NewdegateFrancis NewdegateSir Francis Alexander Newdigate Newdegate GCMG was Governor of Tasmania from 1917 to 1920, and Governor of Western Australia from 1920 to 1924....
(until 16 June), then Sir William CampionWilliam CampionColonel Sir William Robert Campion KCMG, DSO, TD, DL was a British politician and Governor of Western Australia from 1924 to 1931....
Events
- 1 January – The Australian Automobile AssociationAustralian Automobile AssociationThe Australian Automobile Association was established in 1924; it supports and coordinates the activities of its constituent motoring clubs, and aims to represent the interests of Australian motorists both nationally and internationally....
was formed to lobby for federal road finance and a national traffic code. - 26 January – 3AR, VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
's first radio stationRadio stationRadio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
, begins broadcasting. - 30 January – The first Cabinet meeting was held in CanberraCanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
. The ministers met and also lodged at Yarralumla HouseYarralumlaYarralumla may refer to:* Government House, Canberra, the residence of the Governor-General of Australia known as Yarralumla* Yarralumla, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra* Yarralumla Primary School...
, later the residence of the 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...
. - 1 February – The Australian Loan Council meets for the first time.
- 12 April – HMAS AustraliaHMAS Australia (1911)HMAS Australia was one of three s built for the defence of the British Empire. Ordered by the Australian government in 1909, she was launched in 1911, and commissioned as flagship of the fledgling Royal Australian Navy in 1913...
is scuttled off Sydney HeadsSydney HeadsSydney Heads , is the entrance to Port Jackson in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.North Head and Quarantine Head are to the north, South Head and Dunbar Head are to the south. Middle Head, Georges Head and Chowder Head are to the west and within the bay...
. - 28 April – In the Parliament of VictoriaParliament of VictoriaThe Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria. It follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system and consists of The Queen, represented by the Governor of Victoria; the Legislative Council ; and the Legislative Assembly...
, the coalition between the Nationalist PartyNationalist Party of AustraliaThe Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...
and the Country PartyNational Party of AustraliaThe National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
breaks down. Premier Harry LawsonHarry LawsonSir Harry Sutherland Wightman Lawson KCMG , Australian politician, was the 27th Premier of Victoria.Lawson was born in Dunolly, the son of a Presbyterian clergyman of Scottish descent. He was educated at a local school and then briefly Scotch College in Melbourne. He was a noted Australian rules...
retires to the backbench, and Sir 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...
is sworn in as Premier. - 12 May – 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...
is given to the Parliamentary Elections (Women Candidates) Act 1924, allowing women to stand for parliament in VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. - 26 June – A general election is held in VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. - 18 July – After the Victorian state election, the Country PartyNational Party of AustraliaThe National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
agrees to support a minorityMinority governmentA minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
LaborAustralian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
government, and George PrendergastGeorge PrendergastGeorge Michael Prendergast , Australian politician, was the 28th Premier of Victoria. He was born to Irish emigrant parents in Adelaide, but he grew up in Stawell in the Wimmera district of Victoria...
is sworn in as Premier of Victoria. - 10 October – The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 replaced the Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 which defined who was allowed to vote in Australian federal elections. The Commonwealth Electoral Act comprehensively rewrote the Franchise Act and introduced instant-runoff voting, known in Australia as Preferential...
is enacted making voting in federal elections compulsoryCompulsory votingCompulsory voting is a system in which electors are obliged to vote in elections or attend a polling place on voting day. If an eligible voter does not attend a polling place, he or she may be subject to punitive measures such as fines, community service, or perhaps imprisonment if fines are unpaid...
(the next federal election would be held on 14 November 1925). - 18 November – The Country PartyNational Party of AustraliaThe National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
resolves its differences with the Nationalist PartyNationalist Party of AustraliaThe Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...
, and votes to defeat Premier George PrendergastGeorge PrendergastGeorge Michael Prendergast , Australian politician, was the 28th Premier of Victoria. He was born to Irish emigrant parents in Adelaide, but he grew up in Stawell in the Wimmera district of Victoria...
in the Victorian Legislative AssemblyVictorian Legislative AssemblyThe Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
. Country Party leader John AllanJohn Allan (Australian politician)John Allan , Australian politician, was the 29th Premier of Victoria. He was born near Lancefield, where his father was a farmer of Scottish origin, and educated at state schools. He took up wheat and dairy farming at Wyuna and was director of a butter factory at Kyabram...
replaces him as Premier of Victoria.
Births
- 1 January – Elizabeth McKinnonElizabeth McKinnonBetty McKinnon Betty McKinnon Betty McKinnon (Elizabeth L. McKinnon; (born 1 January 1924) is a retired Australian sprinter who won a silver medal in 4 x 100 metres relay with teammates Shirley Strickland, June Maston and Joyce King at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London....
, Olympic sprinter - 24 January – Catherine HamlinCatherine HamlinCatherine Hamlin , AC, MBBS, FRCS, FRANZCOG, FRCOG is an Australian obstetrician and gynaecologist who, with her late husband New Zealander Dr. Reg Hamlin, co-founded the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, the world's only medical centre dedicated exclusively to providing free obstetric fistula repair...
, obstetrician and gynaecologist - 29 February – David BeattieDavid Beattie-External links:*...
, Governor-General of New Zealand (1980–1985) - 11 April – Frank WilsonFrank Wilson (Australian actor)Frank Edward Wilson was an Australian film, stage and television actor; musical comedy singer and director; and television game show and variety host.-Early life:...
(d. 2005), actor - 25 April – Peter AbelesPeter AbelesSir Peter Emil Herbert Abeles, AC was an Australian transportation magnate. A refugee from Hungary, he became one of the most powerful businessmen in Australia, and was knighted in 1972.-Life:...
, businessman (d. 1999) - 25 April – Eric D'ArcyEric D'ArcyJoseph Eric D'Arcy was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Hobart from 1988 - 1999.Born in Melbourne, he was ordained as a priest of that city in 1949...
, Catholic Archbishop of Hobart (d. 2005) - 3 May – Ken KearneyKen KearneyKen "Killer" Kearney was an Australian rugby footballer – a dual-code international player – and a rugby league coach. He represented the Wallabies in seven Tests and the Kangaroos in thirty-one Test matches and World Cup games. He captained Australia in nine rugby league Test matches in 1956 and...
, rugby league player (d. 2006) - 5 May – Gordon JacksonGordon Jackson (businessman)Sir Gordon Jackson AK was an Australian businessman.-Biography:Gordon Jackson was educated at Brisbane Grammar School and the University of Queensland .He joined CSR in 1941 and stayed with the organisation and its subsidiaries until 1985...
, businessman (d. 1991) - 31 May – Patsy Adam-SmithPatsy Adam-SmithPatricia Jean "Patsy" Adam-Smith AO, OBE was an Australian author, historian and servicewoman. She was a prolific writer on a range of subjects covering 'history, folklore and the preservation of national traditions', and also wrote her autobiography in two parts...
, author and historian (d. 2001) - 3 June – Eric NealEric NealSir Eric James Neal AC CVO was the Governor of South Australia 1996-2001, Commissioner of Sydney from 1987 to 1988, and until the start of 2010, the Chancellor of Flinders University....
, Governor of South Australia (1996–2001) - 24 June – Brian BevanBrian BevanBrian Eyrl Bevan was a legendary rugby league winger who scored a world record 796 tries for Warrington RLFC...
, rugby league player (d. 1991) - 29 June – Eric WorrellEric WorrellEric Worrell was an Australian herpetologist and writer who was a pioneer in the production of snake anti-venom in Australia.Worrell was born in Sydney and grew up in Paddington...
, RAAF pilot (d. 1993) - 23 August – David BoydDavid Boyd (artist)David Fielding Gough Boyd, OAM was an Australian artist, and a member of the Boyd artistic dynasty.-Boyd family artistic dynasty:...
, artist - 13 September – Harold BlairHarold BlairHarold Blair AM was an Australian tenor and Aboriginal activist.- Early life :Blair was born at the Cherbourg Aboriginal Reserve, 5 km from Murgon in Queensland. His mother was Esther Quinn, a teenage Aboriginal woman. His surname, Blair, came from the family that had "adopted" his mother...
, tenor and Aboriginal activist (d. 1976) - 27 September – Charlotte MacGibbonCharlotte MacGibbonCharlotte Cecilia MacGibbon-Weeks is a former Australian athlete who competed in the javelin.In 1940, MacGibbon won her first national title in the javelin aged just 15...
, javelin thrower - 1 October – Leonie KramerLeonie KramerDame Leonie Judith Kramer, AC, DBE is an Australian academic, educator and professor.-Education:Kramer was educated at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne, the University of Melbourne, where she gained a Bachelor of Arts in 1945, and Oxford University, where she gained a Doctor of...
, academic and educator - 5 October – Kenneth JackKenneth JackKenneth Jack AM MBE RWS, was an Australian watercolour artist who specialised in painting the images of an almost forgotten outback life; old mine workings, abandoned ghost towns, decaying farm buildings...
, artist - 20 October – Andrew Blomberg, soccer player
- 25 October – Paul RigbyPaul RigbyPaul Crispin Rigby AM , usually working under the name Rigby, was an award-winning Australian cartoonist who worked for newspapers in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States....
, cartoonist - 26 October – Reg WithersReg WithersReginald Greive 'Reg' Withers is a former long-serving member of the Australian Senate, a former government minister, and former Lord Mayor of Perth....
, Senator for Western Australia - 10 November – Bobby LimbBobby LimbBobby Limb AO OBE was an Australian pioneering radio and television entertainer of the 1960s and 1970s.-Career:...
(d. 1999), entertainer - 21 November – David ThomsonDavid Thomson (Australian politician)David Scott Thomson is a former Australian politician. He was the National Country Party member for the House of Representatives seat of Leichhardt from the 1975 election until his defeat by John Gayler at the 1983 election...
, politician - 22 November – Les JohnsonLes JohnsonThe Honourable Leslie Royston "Les" Johnson AM is a former Australian politician, minister and High Commissioner.In his mid-twenties, Les Johnson was elected as a Councillor for Sutherland Shire, New South Wales, where he served for five years.Johnson was elected for the Australian Labor Party as...
, politician - 28 November – Harry BathHarry BathHarry Bath , was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach who rose to prominence in the mid-Twentieth Century...
(d. 2008), rugby league footballer and coach - 3 December – John Winter, Olympic high jumper (d. 2007)
- 17 December – Clifton PughClifton PughClifton Ernest Pugh AO, was an Australian artist and three-time winner of Australia's Archibald Prize. He was strongly influenced by German Expressionism, and was known for his landscapes and portraiture...
, artist
Deaths
- 23 January – Chas BrownlowChas BrownlowCharles "Chas" Brownlow was an Australian rules football administrator in the Victorian Football League.He went to the Geelong College for his schooling....
(b. 1861), Australian rules football administrator - 20 January – Henry 'Ivo' CrappHenry 'Ivo' CrappHenry 'Ivor' Crapp , was a leading Australian rules football field umpire in the Victorian Football League at its formation in the 1890s, and with the West Australian Football League in the early 1900s...
(b. 1872), VFL umpire - 3 March – John RamsayJohn Ramsay (businessman)John Ramsay was a Scottish-born Australian businessman, today best remembered as the father of manufacturer William Ramsay, artist Hugh Ramsay, and surgeon Sir John Ramsay....
(b. 1841), businessman - 12 March – Henry DeaneHenry Deane (engineer)Henry Deane was an Australian engineer, responsible for electrifying the Sydney tramway system and for building the Wolgan Valley Railway and Trans-Australian Railway.- Biography :...
(b. 1847), engineer and botanist - 25 March – John ReedmanJohn ReedmanJohn Cole "Jack" Reedman was an Australian sportsman. As a cricketer he played in one Test, at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 1894. He captained the South Australian cricket team in the Sheffield Shield...
(b. 1865), cricketer and Australian rules footballer - 1 April – Stan Rowley (b. 1876), Olympic sprinter
- 9 May – Edward Henry EmbleyEdward Henry EmbleyEdward Henry Embley was an Australian physician who did important work in the study of the effects of chloroform on the human body....
(b. 1861), doctor - 2 June – Anselm BourkeAnselm BourkeMgr Anselm Bourke, born Nicholas Bourke, was a Roman Catholic priest of Irish origins. He was prominent in Catholic education for several decades, and also founded the West Perth parish of the Church in 1901...
(b. 1835), Catholic priest - 19 July – Kingsley FairbridgeKingsley FairbridgeKingsley Ogilvie Fairbridge was the founder of a child emigration scheme to British colonies and the Fairbridge Schools...
(b. 1885), child emigration pioneer - 30 August – Gerald SharpGerald SharpGerald Sharp was an English-born Anglican clergyman, Archbishop of Brisbane 1921–1933.Sharp was born at Childer Thornton,...
(b. 1865), Anglican clergyman - 19 September – Alick BannermanAlick BannermanAlexander Chalmers Bannerman was an Australian cricketer who played in 28 Tests between 1879 and 1893....
(b. 1854), cricketer - 19 September – Henry George SmithHenry George SmithHenry George Smith was an Australian chemist whose pioneering work on the chemistry of the essential oils of the Australian flora achieved worldwide recognition....
(b. 1852), chemist - 22 October – Sir William LotonWilliam LotonSir William Thorley Loton , was an Australian politician.-Early life:Born at Dilhorne in Staffordshire, England on 11 June 1839, William Loton was the son of publican and farmer Joseph Loton. He was educated by private tutor, but abandoned his schooling at the age of 14 to join the London firm of...
(b. 1839), Western Australian politician - 29 October – John MardenJohn MardenDr. John Marden B.A., LL.D was an Australian Headmaster, pioneer of women's education, and Presbyterian elder.-Early life and training:...
(b. 1855), teacher and headmaster