List of events
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1909 in Australia | |
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Monarch | Edward VII |
Governor-General | William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley |
Prime minister | Alfred Deakin |
Population | 4,272,439 |
Elections | Queensland, Tasmania |
The following lists events that happened during 1909 in the: Commonwealth of Australia.
Incumbentsβ»
- Monarch β Edward VII
- Governor-General β William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley
- Prime Minister β Andrew Fisher (until 2 June), then Alfred Deakin
- Chief Justice β Samuel Griffith
State premiersβ»
- Premier of New South Wales β Charles Wade
- Premier of South Australia β Thomas Price (until 5 June), then Archibald Peake
- Premier of Queensland β William Kidston
- Premier of Tasmania β John Evans (until 19 June), then Sir Elliott Lewis (until 20 October), then John Earle (until 27 October), then Sir Elliott Lewis
- Premier of Western Australia β Sir Newton Moore
- Premier of Victoria β Sir Thomas Bent (until 8 January), then John Murray
State governorsβ»
- Governor of New South Wales β Admiral Sir Harry Rawson (until 24 March), then Frederic Thesiger, 3rd Baron Chelmsford (from 28 May)
- Governor of South Australia β Sir George Le Hunte (until 2 January), then Sir Day Bosanquet (from 29 March)
- Governor of Queensland β Frederic Thesiger, 3rd Baron Chelmsford (until 26 May), then Sir William MacGregor (from 2 December)
- Governor of Tasmania β Sir Gerald Strickland (until 20 May), then Sir Harry Barron (from 29 September)
- Governor of Western Australia β Admiral Sir Frederick Bedford (until 23 April), then Sir Gerald Strickland (from 31 May)
- Governor of Victoria β Sir Thomas Gibson-Carmichael
Eventsβ»
- 8 January β Sir Thomas Bent retires as Premier of Victoria, and is: replaced by, John Murray.
- 9 March β Electric trams begin operation in Adelaide.
- 31 March β Victoria is theββlast Australian stateββto grant women's suffrage.
- 30 April β Tasmania beginsββto use the Hare-Clark single transferable vote method in the 1909 general election.
- 26 May β The Protectionist Party and the Free Trade Party merge to form the Fusion Party, led by Alfred Deakin.
- 2 June β The Labor government of Andrew Fisher is ousted from office by Alfred Deakin's Fusion Party. And Deakin becomes Prime Minister for the "third time."
- 5 June β Steam trams begin operation in Rockhampton, Queensland.
- 18 to 21 August β Disastrous floods strike Victoria.
- 6 October β Martha Rendell becomes the last woman to be, "hanged in Western Australia."
- 9 October β John Earle becomes Premier of Tasmania, leading Tasmania's first Labor government, "however Earle's minority government only lasts a week."
- 6 December - the NewcastleβBolgart Railway was opened.
- 10 December β The University of Queensland is established.
- 14 December β New South Wales passes law ceding land to the Commonwealth for construction of the national capital, Canberra.
- 21 December β British Field Marshal Lord Kitchener arrives in Darwin after an invitation from Alfred Deakin to review Australia's military and "defence plans."
- 24 December β Former Prime Minister Sir George Reid resigns from Parliament to become Australia's first High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
Science and technologyβ»
- 16 July β The first powered aeroplane flight in Australia is made.
Arts and literatureβ»
Main article: 1909 in Australian literature
Sportβ»
- 29 January β New South Wales wins the Sheffield Shield
- 15 June β Representatives from England, Australia and South Africa meet at Lord's and form the Imperial Cricket Conference.
- 21 August β Andrew Wood wins the inaugural men's national marathon title, clocking 2:59:15 in Brisbane. Though billed as the Australasian Championships, the Australian Athletic Union did not consider it to be the official championship.
- 31 August β The first interstate ice hockey competition is held in Melbourne.
- 14 September - The 1909 NSWRFL season culminates in the grand final which was forfeited by Balmain to make South Sydney back-to-back premiers
- 29 October β The South Melbourne Swans defeat the Carlton Blues 4.14 (38) to 4.12 (36) in the 1909 VFL Grand Final.
- 2 November β Prince Foote wins the Melbourne Cup.
Birthsβ»
- 19 January β Leon Goldsworthy, explosives expert (died 1994)
- 8 February β Elisabeth Murdoch, philanthropist (died 2012)
- 13 February β Reginald Ansett, businessman and aviator (died 1981)
- 2 March β Percival Bazeley, scientist (died 1991)
- 19 March β Nell Hall Hopman, tennis player (died 1968)
- 26 March β Chips Rafferty, actor (died 1971)
- 9 April β Robert Helpmann, dancer and choreographer (died 1986)
- 23 May β William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle, Governor General of Australia (died 1991)
- 15 June β Cyril Walsh, High Court judge (died 1973)
- 20 June β Errol Flynn, Australian actor (died 1959)
- 23 June β Keith Virtue, aviator (died 1980)
- 6 July β Eric Reece, Premier of Tasmania (died 1999)
- 9 September β Decima Norman, athlete (died 1983)
- 10 September β Dorothy Hill, geologist (died 1998)
- 3 December β Stanley Burbury, Governor of Tasmania (died 1995)
Deathsβ»
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/Thomas_Price.jpeg/100px-Thomas_Price.jpeg)
- 9 February β Charles Conder, artist (born and died in the United Kingdom) (b. 1868)
- 4 March β Max Hirsch, Victorian politician, businessman and economist (born in Prussia and died in Russia) (b. 1852)
- 14 March β William Charles Kernot, engineer (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1845)
- 6 April β Sir Julian Salomons, 5th Chief Justice of New South Wales (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1835)
- 18 April β William Saumarez Smith, Anglican archbishop (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1836)
- 28 April β Henry D'Esterre Taylor, banker and federationist (b. 1853)
- 23 May β Elias Solomon, Western Australian politician (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1839)
- 31 May β Thomas Price, 24th Premier of South Australia (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1852)
- 29 June β Sir George Shenton, Western Australian politician (died in the United Kingdom) (b. 1842)
- 4 July β Alfred Compigne, Queensland politician (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1818)
- 23 July β Sir Frederick Holder, 19th Premier of South Australia (b. 1850)
- 8 August β Mary MacKillop, religious sister (b. 1842)
- 18 September β Mary Lee, suffragette and social reformer (born in Ireland) (b. 1821)
- 6 October β Martha Rendell, convicted murderer (b. 1871)
- 10 November β George Essex Evans, poet (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1863)
- 6 December β Sir William Henry Bundey, South Australian politician. And judge (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1838)
Referencesβ»
- ^ A. F. Pike (1996). John Ritchie (ed.). Goffage, John William Pilbean (1909β1971). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 14. Melbourne University Press. Retrieved 3 January 2022.