Thomas Welsby (1858 - 1941)

Born 29 Nov 1858 in Ipswich, Colony of Queensland (Australia)

Ancestors

Husband of Margaret Gilchrist (Kingston) Welsby — married 21 Feb 1893 in Queensland (Australia)

Descendants

Died 3 Feb 1941 at age 82 in New Farm, Queensland, Australia

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Biography

Thomas Welsby was born in the Colony of Queensland (1859-1900)

Thomas Welsby is Notable.

Thomas Welsby was born 29 November 1858 in Ipswich, Queensland (Australia), to William Welsby and Hannah Welsby nee Bilsborough.^[1]

Thomas married Margaret Kingston on 21 February 1893 in Queensland.^[2]

Thomas died 2 February 1941 at his home in Welsby Street, New Farm, Queensland.^[3][4]

Obituary from Mackay Daily Mercury^[5] but similar in other newspapers also

MR. THOMAS WELSBY.

BRISBANE, Monday.— The death occurred this morning of Thomas Welsby, who for over half a century has been a popular and outstanding figure in the public and sporting life of Queensland. Deceased, who was 82, was a native of Ipswich. His early life was spent In banking, but he entered into business on his own account as a public accountant. At one time he represented Brisbane in the Legislative Assembly. In sporting circles Mr. Welsby's name was known throughout Australia in athletics, yachting, amateur boxing, and Rugby Union football, which as Queensland president, he did much to revive after the Great War, and other games. He was also connected with the inauguration of many commercial firms In the State. His main interest was in the sea and he knew the waters of Moreton Bay better than anyone.

Obituary in the Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954), Tuesday 4 February 1941, page 4^[6]

Grand Old Man Of Amateur Sport Dead, 82

Mr. Thomas Welsby, well known in the sporting and commercial life of Brisbane for half a century, died yesterday morning at his home in Welsby Street, New Farm, ifter an illness lasting 14 weeks. He was 82. His funeral will leave his home at 10.30 a.m to-day for the Brisbane Crematorium after a service conducted by Canon Thompson, former rector of St. Michael's and All Angels' Church, New Farm, and an old friend of Mr. Welsby. Though everybody knew him, or knew of him, few knew that in his youth he had been a banker; fewer still knew that he had been in the shipping business; and fewer still that he had been a member of parliament and had given several years of a crowded life to local government. In 1874, when he was 16 years of age, he left the Ipswich Grammar School, where he had been educated, and joined the Bank of New South Wales under the late Alexander Archer. For some years his life seemed to run in cycles of five. He was five years with the Bank of New South Wales, five with the old Aus-tralian Joint Stock Bank, and five as a partner with the late Captain Wal-lace in a shipping business in Brisbane. Then, about the beginning of the nineties he settled down as a public accountant and auditor, which became his life work

Physically and mentally he was too energetic to be idle, so in the 'nineties le became a member of the old Boo-oodabin Divisional Board, of which he vas chairman on two occasions. For some years he was chairman of the first New Farm State School com-mittee. and was honorary treasurer of the Brisbane Chamber of Commerce, [n later years he was chairman of the old Royal Bank of Queensland. He was largely responsible for negotia-ting the purchase of the site of the present New Farm school 40 years ago. More than 30 years ago he took up politics, and was elected member for Brisbane (then known as Bris-bane North) in the Kidston-Philp Parliament of 1909-12, and represented Ihe new constituency of Merthyr in the next Parliament. Mr. Harry Walker is the only member now in Parliament who was there when Mr. Welsby first signed the roll.

Mr. Welsby was never happy in Parliament. The atmosphere did not appeal to him. He seldom spoke, and when he did, although it was a stormy period, he spoke without heat and without emotion.

He was bored by its partisanship and party fervours. He used to escape from Parliament House at the week-end and go off to his cottage at Amity, He loved the Bay. He knew its his tory, its currents, its islands, and its changlng moods

Historian Of Bay

His book, 'Memories of Amity,' is a record of his wanderings on Stradbroke, Moreton, and Bribie Islands. In an earlier book, 'Early Moreton Bay,' published about 35 years ago, he told his early yachting experiences and re-called the tragedies of nearly a score of wrecks. Mr. Welsby was one of the founders of the Queensland Historical Society, to which he contributed many valuable papers, and he possessed one of the best private libraries of Australians in the Commonwealth. He played football for Brisbane when matches were held in the Botanic Gardens. In 1882 he helped to establish Rugby Union in Queensland, be-coming its first secretary. For two seasons he played for Queens-land against New South Wales. He also played a large part in the re-vival of the game in 1929. He became president of the Queensland Rugby Union in that year and remained presi dent until 1939. In association with the late Mr. J. J. Trundle he formed the Brisbane gymnasium in the early eighties and taught many younger men the art of boxing, among them being Mr. William Bertram, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly for nearly 10 years. In 1885 he audited the books of the Brisbane Amateur Salling Club which became the Queensland Yacht Club in 1897 and the Royal Queensland Yacht Club in 1902. He became the historian of the club and was commodore for 16 years. In 1904 he became a foundation member of the Amateur Fishermen's Association, and at his death he was patron, having held the office for 25 years.

Mr. Welsby leaves two daughters —Mrs. Colin Clark, wife of Mr. Colin Clark, of Daandine, on the Darling Downs, and New Farm, Brisbane, and son of the late Mr. James Clark, pastoralist and pearler; and Mrs. J. W. Williams, wife of an officer of the Royal Australian Navy who is in charge of the Garden Island Dockyards at Sydney.

Sources

1. ↑ Queensland BMD Birth registration: Name: Thomas Welsby; Birth date:29/11/1858; Mother's name:Hannah Bilsborough; Father/parent's name:William Welsby; Registration details:1858/C/1349
2. ↑ Queensland BMD Marriage registration: Name: Thomas Welsby; Marriage date:21/02/1893; Spouse's name:Margaret Gilchrist Kingston; Registration details:1893/B/16106
3. ↑ Queensland BMD Death registration: Name: Thomas Welsby; Death date:03/02/1941; Mother's name:Hannah Bilsborough; Father/parent's name:William; Registration details:1941/B/50879
4. ↑ Family Notices (1941, February 3). The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), p. 14 (Second Edition). Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article172719156
5. ↑ MR. THOMAS WELSBY. (1941, February 4). Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), p. 4. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article170566131
6. ↑ Grand Old Man Of Amateur Sport Dead, 82 (1941, February 4). The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954), p. 4. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article44894801

See Also:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Welsby