Queensland Parliament Former Members Register

For “Occupation (Pastoralist)” of John Cameron

Career Jackaroo, New England, 1859; establish Barcaldine Downs, 1864; overseer of Alice Downs; Manager, Wilby property; Purchased Greenhills and Kensington Downs, 1877; Chairman, Moreheads Ltd; Chairman, Queensland Meat Export and Agency Co; Chairman, Alliance Insurance Co; Director, Queensland National Bank

ADB adds: "Cameron and his mother kept Kensington Downs of 625 square miles (1619 km2), 62 miles (100 km) north-east of Longreach."

For “Member for South Brisbane, Queensland Legislative Assembly” FROM 26 MAY 1875 TO 21 AUG 1883 of Richard Ash Kingsford

"Assembly NONE South Brisbane 26 May 1875 21 Aug 1883"

The single row of the register's Parliamentary Representation table (House / Party / Electorate / From / To); 'NONE' is the party column. The register's index row reads "KINGSFORD, Richard Ash / South Brisbane / 26 May 1875 - 21 Aug 1883".

For “Mayor of Brisbane” 1876 of Richard Ash Kingsford

"Mayor of South Brisbane, 1876; Mayor of Cairns, 1885-1886"

The register's Local Government Service field. It agrees on the year but labels the office 'Mayor of South Brisbane'; recorded here as the variant reading.

For “Mayor of Cairns” FROM 1885 TO 1886 of Richard Ash Kingsford

"Mayor of South Brisbane, 1876; Mayor of Cairns, 1885-1886"

The register supplies the 1885-1886 span used as this event's date.

For “Occupation (Station Manager)” of George William Bennett Story

Various employment in Victoria, Tasmania (farmer) and New Zealand (miner); Lessee, sheep farm, Port Arthur, Tasmania; Manager, Burhorah and Dareel stations, Queensland

The 1881 arrival in Queensland is from Wikipedia: "Story arrived in Queensland in 1881 where he became manager of Burhorah and Dareel stations."

For “Occupation (Stock and Station Agent)” FROM 1886 of George William Bennett Story

Stock and station agent, Cunnamulla, from 1886; Ran a farm at Runcorn and Manager for Cobb & Co.

The local bodies come from the same register page under Notes: "Member, Paroo Divisional Board, the Cunnamulla Jockey Club, the Warrego Pastoral Association and the Marsupial Board".

For “Member for Balonne, Queensland Legislative Assembly” FROM 11 APR 1896 TO 27 AUG 1904 of George William Bennett Story

Assembly | MIN | Balonne | 11 Apr 1896 | 27 Aug 1904

Official service dates; MIN is the register's abbreviation for Ministerial. Wikipedia agrees on the substance: "At the 1896 Queensland election, Story won the seat of Balonne as a candidate for the Ministerialists. He served three terms before his defeat in 1904."

For “Member for Normanby, Queensland Legislative Assembly” FROM 19 MAY 1888 TO 1 MAR 1901 of John Murray

Assembly NONE Normanby 19 May 1888 17 Apr 1893 Assembly MIN Normanby 18 Apr 1893 1 Mar 1901

Transcribed from the Parliamentary Representation table. ADB adds: "he was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly in May 1888 for Normanby as supporter of McIlwraith's National Party."

For “Member of the Queensland Legislative Council” FROM 12 MAR 1901 TO 13 NOV 1903 of John Murray

Council NONE Legislative Council 12 Mar 1901 13 Nov 1903

Transcribed from the Parliamentary Representation table. ADB adds: "On 12 March 1901 he was appointed to the Legislative Council" and "On 16 November 1903 he resigned from parliament to contest the Senate election, but was defeated."

For “Secretary for Railways and Public Works” FROM 27 APR 1898 TO 1 FEB 1901 of John Murray

Secretary for Railways and Public Works 7 Dec 1899 1 Feb 1901 Secretary for Railways and Public Works 27 Apr 1898 1 Dec 1899

ADB adds: "in 1898 when he accepted the portfolio of secretary for railways and public works (April 1898-February 1901) under the premiership of T. J. Byrnes and (Sir) James Dickson."

For “Postmaster-General of Queensland” FROM 1 FEB 1901 TO 1 MAR 1901 of John Murray

Postmaster-General 1 Feb 1901 1 Mar 1901

For “Secretary for Public Instruction” FROM 1 FEB 1901 TO 12 AUG 1902 of John Murray

Secretary for Public Instruction 1 Feb 1901 12 Aug 1902 Representative of Government in Legislative Council 1 Feb 1901 17 Sep 1903

ADB adds: "From February 1901 to August 1902 he was secretary for public instruction."

For “Minister without Office” FROM 12 AUG 1902 TO 17 SEP 1903 of John Murray

Minister without Office 12 Aug 1902 17 Sep 1903

ADB adds: "then minister without portfolio in the Philp ministry until his retirement in September 1903."

For “Chairman, Gogango Divisional Board” of John Murray

Local Government Service: Chairman, Gogango Divisional Board

ADB adds: "Murray was a foundation member of the Gogango Divisional Board, becoming chairman for three terms."

For “Member for Mackay, Queensland Legislative Assembly” FROM 5 MAY 1888 TO 27 AUG 1904 of David Hay Dalrymple

Assembly MIN Mackay 5 May 1888 27 Aug 1904

Parliamentary Representation table row, transcribed in column order (House, Party, Electorate, From, To). ADB: 'At first he was a staunch advocate of northern separation, but in 1899, when speaking on the Federation enabling bill, he no longer identified himself with the northern separation bloc.'

For “Secretary for Public Instruction, Queensland” FROM 29 MAR 1895 TO 28 MAR 1899 of David Hay Dalrymple

Secretary for Public Instruction 29 Mar 1895 28 Mar 1899

Parliamentary Service table row (Description, From, To). ADB: 'He improved the system of grammar school scholarships and simplified the payment of teachers. His bill for a university in 1898 was lost in prorogation.'

For “Secretary for Public Works, Queensland” FROM 6 MAY 1896 TO 27 APR 1898 of David Hay Dalrymple

Secretary for Public Works 6 May 1896 27 Apr 1898

Parliamentary Service table row. The dates overlap his first public instruction term, which the register lists separately; ADB describes him holding 'successively public instruction, public works, public lands, agriculture and public instruction' in ministries under Nelson, Byrnes, Dickson and Philp.

For “Secretary for Public Lands, Queensland” FROM 28 MAR 1899 TO 1 DEC 1899 of David Hay Dalrymple

Secretary for Public Lands 28 Mar 1899 1 Dec 1899

Parliamentary Service table row (Description, From, To).

For “Minister without Office, Queensland” FROM 7 DEC 1899 TO 1 MAY 1901 of David Hay Dalrymple

Minister without Office 7 Dec 1899 1 May 1901

Parliamentary Service table row (Description, From, To).

For “Secretary for Agriculture, Queensland” FROM 1 MAY 1901 TO 17 SEP 1903 of David Hay Dalrymple

Secretary for Agriculture 1 May 1901 17 Sep 1903

Parliamentary Service table row (Description, From, To).

For “Secretary for Public Instruction, Queensland” FROM 12 AUG 1902 TO 17 SEP 1903 of David Hay Dalrymple

Secretary for Public Instruction 12 Aug 1902 17 Sep 1903

Parliamentary Service table row (Description, From, To); the register lists this as a separate, later term from the 1895-99 one.

For “Occupation (Chemist and Druggist)” FROM 1865 TO 1904 of David Hay Dalrymple

Opened Mackay's first chemist shop, after arrival in 1863; Chemist and druggist, Mackay 1865 - 1904; Held pastoral interests in Dalrymple and Hamilton regions

Register Career field. ADB adds the street: 'opened in Gordon Street the town's first chemist shop and began his pastoral investments'.

For “Immigrated” 1855 of Robert Aland

Migrated to Sydney in 1853 and Brisbane, 1855; Store clerk, Ipswich; Arrived Toowoomba, 1866

Wikipedia agrees and gives his age: "He migrated to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia in 1855 when he was 18 years old." The event is dated to the Brisbane arrival.

For “Member for Drayton and Toowoomba, Queensland Legislative Assembly” FROM 14 JAN 1881 TO 6 MAY 1893 of Robert Aland

Assembly | NONE | Drayton & Toowoomba | 14 Jan 1881 | 6 May 1893 | By-election

Official service dates and the by-election entry. Wikipedia supplies the circumstances: "After Davenport died in 1881, Aland was appointed to the Assembly and held his seat for 12 years until 1893. He did not seek re-election as his views and the views of the voting public differed towards the end of his political career." The Wikipedia infobox names W. H. Groom as the member alongside.

For “Chairman, Toowoomba Hospital Committee” FROM 1879 TO 1904 of Robert Aland

Chairman, Toowoomba Hospital Committee, 1879-1904; Trustee, Toowoomba Cemetery; Committee member, Toowoomba Grammar School; Member, Grand Lodge of Queensland

Wikipedia agrees on the length of service: "He was a committee member on the board of the Toowoomba Hospital for 30 years until his death."

For “Occupation (Pastoralist)” FROM 1863 of Roger Hale Sheaffe

Pastoral experience Stream Hill, Illawarra, NSW; Took up Marathon, Telemon (Hughenden) and Fort Constantine (Cloncurry) stations, 1863; Partner in Devoncourt station (Flinders); Normanton Copper investments, 1866; Invested in Normanton Quartz Crushing Company, 1866

Wikipedia describes him in the same terms: "Roger Hale Sheaffe (9 April 1838 - 1 December 1895) was a pastoralist and member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly." The individual stations have no place rows, so they are named in the event prose and the event is placed at Queensland.

For “Member for Burke, Queensland Legislative Assembly” FROM 14 NOV 1878 TO 10 AUG 1883 of Roger Hale Sheaffe

Assembly | NONE | Burke | 14 Nov 1878 | 10 Aug 1883

The official register's dates are used here. Wikipedia's infobox instead gives the term as ending 5 October 1883, citing the Brisbane Courier report of the general election of 6 October 1883; the two sources disagree on the end date and the official register has been preferred. Wikipedia's prose: "Sheaffe was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly as the member for Burke in 1878 but did not stand for re-election in 1883." The predecessor and successor names are from the Wikipedia succession box.

For “Married” 16 MAR 1859 of William Henry Groom & Grace Littleton

Birth Date: 9 March 1833 (Plymouth) Death Date: 8 August 1901 (Melbourne, Victoria) Parents: Thomas Groom and Maria (nee Harkcom) Family: Grace Littleton on 16 March 1859, 5 sons, 5 daughters

Secondary corroboration of the same date, and the tie between the marriage and the identified member. The register's stated source is Waterson, A Biographical Register of the Queensland Parliament 1860-1929 (2001); the ADB entry for Groom is by the same author and gives the year 1859 only, so the two are not independent of one another.

For “Member for Chillagoe, Queensland Legislative Assembly” FROM 11 MAY 1929 TO 10 JUN 1932 of Ernest Albert Atherton

Assembly CPNP Chillagoe 11 May 1929 10 Jun 1932

Register table row; gives the exact start and end dates and the party (Country and Progressive National Party).

For “Secretary for Mines, Queensland” FROM 21 MAY 1929 TO 17 JUN 1932 of Ernest Albert Atherton

Secretary for Mines 21 May 1929 17 Jun 1932

Register table row. Wikipedia describes the same office as 'Secretary for Mines in the Moore Ministry'; the pre-existing tree event #46137 calls it 'Minister for Mines'.

For “First Chairman, Barron Shire Council” of Ernest Albert Atherton

First Chairman of Barron (later Mareeba) Shire Council

Register field; undated there. Wikipedia places it before the 1929 election: 'After being the first chairman of the Barron Shire Council, at the 1929 state election, Atherton contested the seat of Chillagoe'.

For “Chairman, Cairns Harbour Board” of Ernest Albert Atherton

Butcher; Storekeeper; Sugar cane and dairy farmer, 1916; Tobacco farmer, 1931; Chairman, Cairns Harbour Board, early 1920's; Member, Cairns Agricultural and Pastoral Association; Member, Northern Patriotic Council, 1916-1919

Register career field. Only 'early 1920's' is given for the harbour board, so the event carries no date.

For “Occupation (Sugar cane and dairy farmer)” FROM 1916 of Ernest Albert Atherton

Butcher; Storekeeper; Sugar cane and dairy farmer, 1916; Tobacco farmer, 1931

Register career field. Wikipedia agrees: 'he spent time as a butcher and storekeeper before becoming a sugar cane and dairy farmer'.

For “Occupation (Tobacco farmer)” 1931 of Ernest Albert Atherton

Sugar cane and dairy farmer, 1916; Tobacco farmer, 1931

Register career field.

For “Member for Warrego, Queensland Legislative Assembly” FROM 18 MAY 1907 TO 24 SEP 1907 of George Barber

Assembly ALP Warrego 18 May 1907 24 Sep 1907 Unseated by petition

Register table row, including the departure reason. Placed at Queensland because the Warrego electorate has no place row of its own.

For “Mayor of Charleville” 1901 of George Barber

Alderman, Charleville; Town Clerk, Charleville; Mayor of Charleville, 1901, 1903

Register field. It lists two separate mayoral years, 1901 and 1903, which are recorded here as two events rather than one continuous term.

For “Mayor of Charleville” 1903 of George Barber

Alderman, Charleville; Town Clerk, Charleville; Mayor of Charleville, 1901, 1903

Register field; the second of the two mayoral years listed.

For “Alderman and Town Clerk, Charleville” of George Barber

Alderman, Charleville; Town Clerk, Charleville; Mayor of Charleville, 1901, 1903 ... Chairman, Fire Brigade Board; Chairman, Charleville Hospital; Member, Pastoral and Agricultural Association; Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows

Two register fields, Local Government Service and Notes, quoted together; the ellipsis marks the break between them. Neither carries dates.

For “Occupation (Contractor and builder)” FROM 1893 TO 1932 of George Barber

Town contractor and builder, 1893; Partner, P. & A. Barber, 1908-1924; Managing Director, Barber Limited, 1924

Register career field. Wikipedia agrees on the trade: 'After his arrival in Charleville he was a builder.' The end year 1932 is his death year; the register gives no closing date.

For “Married” 27 NOV 1923 of George Barber & Mary Ann Toub

Family: (2) Mary Ann Toub on 27 November 1923 in Brisbane, (1) Florence Gifford, in Canterbury, England, 6 sons, 4 daughters

Source of the Brisbane place and of the ordering that makes this the second marriage. Secondary: the register's stated source is Waterson, A Biographical Register of the Queensland Parliament 1860-1929 (2001).

For William Henry Groom & Grace Littleton

Family: Grace Littleton on 16 March 1859, 5 sons, 5 daughters

Evidence for family.startDate. Discrepancy left alone: the register counts 5 sons and 5 daughters where the tree's family 15066 holds 6 sons and 4 daughters.

For Robert Carl Katter & Susan Mary O'Rourke

"Family: Susan Mary O'Rourke in 1970, 1 son, 4 daughters" ... "Birth Date: 22 May 1945 (Cloncurry, Queensland)" ... "Parents: Robert Cummin Katter and Mabel Joan (nee Horn)"

Official register entry, fetched 2026-08-28 (double spaces in the rendered page normalised to single). The CHILD-SEX COUNT is the strong evidence here: '1 son, 4 daughters' matches this family's five children exactly - Robert Ignatius #52284 (M) and Caroline #52307, Olivia #52308, Mary Jane #52309 and Eliza #52310 (F). Birth date, birthplace and both parents also match the tree. The register also gives the full given name Susan MARY. Marriage year: this same line is the evidence for the 1970 correction already proposed separately (proposal #175); nothing about the date is duplicated here.

For George Barber & Mary Ann Toub

Family: (2) Mary Ann Toub on 27 November 1923 in Brisbane, (1) Florence Gifford, in Canterbury, England, 6 sons, 4 daughters

Evidence for the union itself and for its date.

For William Henry Summerville (1862–1919)

Birth Date: August 1862 (Ipswich, Queensland) Death Date: 21 May 1919 (Ipswich, Queensland) Parents: Samuel Summerville and Elizabeth (nee Thompson) Family: Annie Agnes Herbert on 22 July 1892 in Ipswich, 2 sons, 3 daughters

Identification. Both named parents and the spouse and the exact marriage date match the tree record (father Samuel Summerville, mother Elizabeth Thompson, wife Annie Agnes Herbert m. 22 JUL 1892 Ipswich). Birth month, birth place, death date and death place also agree. The register's "2 sons, 3 daughters" counts the children who survived; the tree records ten births, five of them dying young.

For Edward Walker Archer (1871–1940)

Ada Jessie Rhoades on 18 May 1901, 1 son, 2 daughters

The register's Family field. The same page gives Birth Date 12 December 1871 (Croydon), Death Date 1 July 1940 (Rockhampton, Queensland) and Parents 'David Archer and Susan (nee Stubbs)'. Spouse name matches #6444; the parents match the 1881 and 1891 census residence events already on this record. Basis for refining the birth and death dates.

For John Murray (1837–1917)

Birth Date: 15 August 1837 (Mauchline, Ayrshire) Death Date: 18 November 1917 (Longreach, Queensland) Parents: Peter Murray and Jean (nee Witherspoon) Family: (2) Margaret Graham McGavin on 3 January 1882 at Rockhampton, 3 sons, 1 daughter, (1) Jane Elizabeth Hartley on 1 September 1873 at Rockhampton, 2 sons, 1 daughter

Identification. Both parents, both wives, both marriage places and both children breakdowns match the tree exactly, as do the full birth and death dates and places. Note the second marriage date: register 3 January 1882 against the tree's 5 JAN 1882 (see proposal note).

For Donald Gunn (1856–1943)

Birth Date: 19 February 1856 (Burnima, near Bombala, New South Wales) Death Date: 24 July 1943 (Brisbane, Queensland) Parents: Donald Gunn and Anna Sophia (nee Hughes) Family: Mary Anne Rattray Deuchar on 29 December 1880, 3 sons, 2 daughters Education: Warwick State School; Brisbane Grammar School; National School, Warwick Religion: Presbyterian

Identification. Parents, wife, marriage date and birthplace all match #20299 exactly. This also rules out his son Donald Deuchar Gunn (#26384, b. 1882), whose death year 1943 coincides.

For Ernest Albert Atherton (1879–1954)

ATHERTON, Ernest Arthur

The register indexes him as Ernest Arthur, but its own detail page gives Birth Date: 22 March 1879 (Mareeba, Queensland) and Parents: John Atherton and Catherine (nee Grainger), matching the birth registration 1879/C/814 which names him Ernest Albert. Arthur is a register error; the tree, Wikipedia and Wikidata all have Albert. No change proposed.

For Ernest Albert Atherton (1879–1954)

Birth Date: 22 March 1879 (Mareeba, Queensland) Death Date: 29 June 1954 (Mareeba, Queensland) Parents: John Atherton and Catherine (nee Grainger) Family: Honoria Christiana Svendsen on 10 April 1912, 2 sons, 1 daughter Education: Attended Cairns State School; Received private tuition at Port Douglas Religion: Church of England

Identification: parents and both vital dates and places match #22492 exactly. Note the register heads the entry 'Ernest Arthur' where the tree, Wikipedia and Wikidata have 'Ernest Albert'; no name change is proposed.

For William Cooper (1868–1957)

Birth Date: 1868 (Durnow, Maitland, New South Wales) Death Date: 29 November 1957 (Ipswich, Queensland) Parents: Henry John Cooper and Elizabeth (nee Chaffe) Family: Ida Emma Ernst on 1 January 1902, 4 sons, 2 daughters

Identification. The tree record independently holds spouse Ida Emma Ernst, marriage 1 JAN 1902, and exactly four sons and two daughters, plus birth at Maitland NSW and death at Ipswich. Spouse name + exact marriage date + children breakdown are the discriminators; the matching birth/death years alone would not be.