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Former Member Details

Mr Thomas [2] WALKER (1858 - 1932)

Member Photo
Date of Birth: 05/02/1858
Place of Birth: Preston, Lancashire, England
Date of Death: 10/05/1932
Place of Death: Inglewood, Perth, Western Australia
Parliamentary Service
Position Start End Period Notes
Homestead Protection Bill Committee No.12 03 Apr 1894 18 Apr 1894 16 days
Children’s Protection Act Amendment Bill Committee No.9 20 Feb 1894 05 Jun 1894 3 months 17 days
Post Office Savings Bank-National Bank Committee No.15 29 Nov 1892 16 May 1893 5 months 18 days
Member for Northumberland 24 Jun 1891 25 Jun 1894 3 years 2 days
Management of the Orange Hospital No.5 26 May 1891 02 Jun 1891 8 days Chairman
Management of the Orange Hospital Committee No.38 21 Oct 1890 19 Dec 1890 1 month 29 days Chairman
Blayney Municipal Council Enabling Bill Committee No.37 16 Oct 1890 22 Oct 1890 7 days
Claim of E.K Crace to Crown Land adjoining Gungahleen Estate Committee No.20 24 Jun 1890 14 Oct 1890 3 months 21 days
Sydney and Suburban Electric Lighting Bill Committee No.14 31 May 1889 10 Oct 1889 4 months 10 days
Member for Northumberland 04 Feb 1889 06 Jun 1891 2 years 4 months 3 days
Work of Unemployed on Roads at Hornsby and Holt Sutherland Estate Committee No.7 15 Nov 1888 16 Jan 1889 2 months 2 days
Work of Unemployed on Roads at Hornsby and Holt Sutherland Estate Committee No.7 15 Nov 1888 16 Jan 1889 2 months 2 days Chairman
Messrs. Hugh McNeill and Party Mineral Lease at Captains Flat Committee No.55 24 Apr 1888 12 Jul 1888 2 months 19 days
Deduction from Wages of Employees for Medical Attendance Committee No.50 27 Mar 1888 24 Jul 1888 3 months 28 days Chairman
Oakey Park Coal mining Company’s Railway Bill Committee No.42 10 Feb 1888 27 Mar 1888 1 month 18 days
Claims of Captain Rossi Committee No.13 29 Sep 1887 09 Feb 1888 4 months 12 days
Claims of John Gallagher Committee No.21 17 May 1887 05 Jul 1887 1 month 19 days
Claim of Cornelius Grady Committee No.18 29 Apr 1887 05 Jul 1887 2 months 7 days
Member for Northumberland 17 Feb 1887 19 Jan 1889 1 year 11 months 3 days
Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 17 Feb 1887 25 Jun 1894 7 years 4 months 9 days
Political Party Activity
Protectionist. He called himself a "protectionist, democratic republican".
Community Activity
Member of the Senate University of Western Australia from 1912 until 1916.
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Lecturer; author; spiritualist; journalist; newspaper proprietor. Child preacher on Wesleyan circuit around Preston, then pupil/teacher at St Thomas' school. Migrated to Canada with family in early 1870s and worked as labourer. Set up as a materializing spiritualist medium in Toronto 1874; returned British precipitately after fatal accident at seance; journalist on Preston Herald, Lancashire. Possibly returned to Canada briefly in 1875; journalist and spiritualist medium in United States of America in 1876. Arrived in New South Wales in March 1877. Journeyed to Melbourne and became a medium and lecturer to British 1879, lecturing for National Reform Union; to South Africa 1880, resuming spiritualist preaching and returned Victoria in 1881 and was a spiritualist lecturer. Denounced spiritualism in 1882, founding Australasian Secular Association with himself as salaried president and lecturer. Went to Sydney in 1883, where he became secularist spokesman, 'larrikin populist campaigner' and published poems and plays. As a 'protectionist, democratic republican', condemned Sudan expedition and espoused radical reforms; convicted then acquitted of obscenity when advocating birth control 1885; set up as temperance lecture after inadvertently shooting and wounding a clergyman in 1892; also taught elocution and wrote for press. Visited New Zealand, then settled in Western Australia in 1899; Became a journalist on Kalgoorlie Sun and Kalgoorlie Miner; then journalist, and later became an editor of the Western Australian Sunday Times; editor and part owner of the Sunday Press in 1903. Soon returned to Kalgoorlie to edit the Sun. Gave up journalism and studied law. Admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor in 1911. As an Australian Labor Party (ALP) Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly he defended Aborigines and promoted reforms. Author of two volumes of poetry; Marmondelle the Moore ( a play); and dramatization of For the Term of His Natural Life.
Military Service
Honours Received
Membership of other Parliaments & Offices Held
Member of the Parliament of Western Australia: Member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia for Kanowna 1905 - 1932 (Australian Labor Party (ALP) ). Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia 1923 - 1930.
Local Government Activity
Personal
Son of Thomas, flour-mill operative, and Ellen Eccles. Married Andretta Marie Somers on 19 May 1881 in Graaft Reinet, South Africa and had issue, 2 sons and 1 daughter. Church of England funeral. However, had been a secularist leader in New South Wales. Church of England
Additional Information
Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 6 The photograph has been supplied courtesy of the Parliament of Western Australia.

The Parliament of New South Wales acknowledges and respects the traditional lands of all Aboriginal people, and pays respects to all Elders past and present. We acknowledge the Gadigal people as the traditional custodians of the land on which the Parliament of New South Wales stands.