1912 in Australia explained
The following lists events that happened during 1912 in Australia.
Incumbents
State premiers
State governors
Events
- 6 January – First aircraft crash in Australia, between Mount Druitt and Rooty Hill.[1] [2]
- 18 January – Tramway Employees Association members are dismissed for wearing union badges to work—the ensuing protest marks the beginning of the 1912 Brisbane general strike.[3]
- 4 February – Police officers and special constables attack protesters and strikers at Market Square in Brisbane during the 1912 Brisbane general strike. The day becomes known as "Baton Friday" and later, "Black Friday".
- 20 or 21 March – The sinks off Western Australia during a cyclone, killing around 150 people.[4]
- 13 April – Francis Birtles becomes the first person to cross the Nullarbor Plain by car.[5]
- 24 April – The NSW government grants 43acres of land for the construction of a zoological garden, later known as Taronga Park.[6]
- 30 May – The light cruiser is launched in England.[7]
- 15 July – The first branches of the Commonwealth Bank open in Melbourne and country Victoria. The Prime Minister, Andrew Fisher, is the bank's first account holder and depositor.[8]
- 19 September – An amended version of the coat of arms of Australia is granted Royal Assent by George V. The Golden Wattle is declared Australia's floral emblem.
- 10 October – The Maternity Allowance Act 1912 is passed, granting a "Baby Bonus" of five pounds to the mother of every child born in Australia (indigenous mothers and other non-citizens are excluded).[9]
- 12 October – Forty-two people die in the North Mount Lyell Disaster on the west coast of Tasmania.
Arts and literature
See main article: 1912 in Australian literature.
Sport
Births
- 5 January – Doris Carter, athlete (died 1999)
- 3 February – Jack Metcalfe, athlete (died 1994)
- 7 February – Russell Drysdale, artist (died 1981)
- 12 March – Kylie Tennant, writer (died 1988)
- 28 May – Patrick White, writer (died 1990)
- 4 June – William Dargie, painter (died 2003)
- 1 August – David Brand, Premier of Western Australia (died 1979)
- 1 August – Damien Parer, war photographer (died 1944)
- 2 August – Gwen Plumb, entertainer (died 2002)
- 18 November – Vic Hey (died 1995), rugby league footballer and coach
- 11 December – Eric Joseph Wright, gp, medical administrator and public servant (died 1979)
Deaths
- 23 January – Martin Howy Irving, rower and educationist (born and died in the United Kingdom) (b. 1831)
- 10 February – Thomas Reibey, 11th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1821)
- 20 February – Albert Bythesea Weigall, headmaster (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1840)
- 11 March – Sir William Zeal, Victorian politician and railway engineer (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1830)
- 3 April – Philip Argall, cricketer (b. 1855)
- 20 April – Charles Harper, Western Australian politician, pastoralist and newspaper proprietor (b. 1842)
- 21 May – Mick Grace, Australian rules footballer (Fitzroy, Carlton, St Kilda) (b. 1874)
- 5 June – Francis James Gillen, anthropologist and ethnologist (b. 1855)
- 25 June – William Guilfoyle, landscape gardener and botanist (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1840)
- 27 June – George Bonnor, cricketer (b. 1855)
- 29 June – Frederick Henry Piesse, Western Australian politician, businessman and farmer (b. 1853)
- 13 September – Joseph Furphy, author and poet (b. 1843)
- 29 September – James Charles Cox, physician and conchologist (b. 1834)
- 18 November – Richard O'Connor, New South Wales politician and inaugural High Court justice (b. 1851)
- 16 December – George Rignold, actor (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1839)
See also
Notes and References
- News: AEROPLANE MISHAP. . . 8 January 1912 . 23 January 2012 . 9 . National Library of Australia.
- http://www.blacktown.nsw.gov.au/our-city/history/the-region/important-dates_home.cfm Important Dates: Blacktown – The Region
- News: Moore. Tony. Brisbane's great strike remembered. 23 January 2012. Brisbane Times. 18 January 2012.
- http://www.museum.wa.gov.au/maritime-archaeology-db/wrecks/koombana Shipwreck Database: Koombana
- News: FROM FREMANTLE TO SYDNEY. . . Vic. . 16 April 1912 . 23 January 2012 . 5 . National Library of Australia.
- http://www.taronga.org.au/about-us/history/taronga-zoo/taronga-zoo Taronga Zoo
- http://www.awm.gov.au/units/unit_12588.asp HMAS Melbourne (1913-1928)
- News: THE COMMONWEALTH BANK. . . Qld. . 16 July 1912 . 23 January 2012 . 5 . National Library of Australia.
- News: MATERNITY ALLOWANCE. . . Vic. . 23 September 1912 . 23 January 2012 . 3 Edition: MORNINGS. . National Library of Australia.