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Edward Matthew Horsington (2 May 1878 – 23 July 1947) was an Australian politician.

Biography

He was born at Lower Alma, Timor, Victoria, to Julia, née Farrell, of Portarlington, Ireland, and farmer John Waygood Horsington, of Somerset, England.

John Waygood Horsington, his two sisters and their mother had survived the 1852 Ticonderoga fever-ship disaster, but John's father had been amongst the 100 who had been buried at sea, before the onshore makeshift quarantine ordeal when another 80 died.

In Victoria, John had tried shoemaking in Brunswick, in partnership with his brother James, gold mining in the Maryborough area, and whilst farming at Lower Alma, floated a gold-mining company, the Horsington Freehold Claim, which was financially unsuccessful.

Edward, known as "Ted", was John's eighth child, and Julia's fourth. While various references, including Who's Who in Australia 1947, state that Edward was educated in Maryborough, it is much more likely that he attended one of the rural schools which offered classes up to eighth grade, much closer to his home at Lower Alma, in the Maryborough district.

Horsington’s entry in the 1947 “Who’s Who in Australia” recorded that his recreation was gardening.

Career

He became a drover and miner after leaving school and worked in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia before settling in Broken Hill. On 31 December 1906 he married Rosalie Bryksky, with whom he had two daughters, one who died aged 10 years, the other being widowed after five years of marriage and later re-marrying.

From 1912 to 1922, Horsington was secretary of the Broken Hill branch of the Federated Engine Drivers and Firemen's Union. He also served as director of Broken Hill Hospital and as a Broken Hill City Alderman.

Political career

In 1922, Horsington was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as one of the Labor members for Sturt. He continued as member for Sturt after the return of single-member divisions in 1927, and briefly served as Secretary for Lands and Minister for Forests from May to October 1927. He was expelled from the Labor Party in 1936 but readmitted later that year, and in June 1939 joined Bob Heffron's Industrial Labor Party. The ILP was reintegrated into the official Labor Party in August of that year, and Horsington continued to represent Sturt until he retired in 1947.

Horsington is well-represented in newspapers now online in the National Library of Australia's TROVE at www.trove.nla,gov.au. During the debate to proceed with amending the Bill for Compensation for diseased Broken Hill miners, Horsington directed language towards the Premier which was "worthy of censure" and was removed from the Chamber.

Death and legacy

He died at Waverley in Sydney on 23 July of that year. A large number of New South Wales newspapers reported his passing.

On 24 July 1947, the Barrier Miner, a Broken Hill newspaper, published:

MR HORSINGTON DIES IN SYDNEY

Former member for Sturt in the State Parliament, Mr. Edward Matthew Horsington, died at Waverley Memorial Hospital, Sydney, yesterday. He was 69. Born and educated at Maryborough, Victoria, Mr. Horsington worked on pastoral properties and, on mines in Queensland, Western Australia, and New South Wales before entering the State Parliament over 24 years ago. He was prominent in local union circles before Parliamentary election and was Secretary of the local branch of the F.E.D. and F.A. for some years. An extremely popular official, he took part in the civic life of the city and served as a city alderman. During nearly a quarter of a century in the State Parliament as member for Sturt, Mr. Horsington was a keen advocate of the needs of the people of the West. He never wavered in his advocacy of the Darling River Water Scheme, and at the ceremony connected with the turning of the first sod visiting Parliamentarians paid a tribute to his work. During his long term in Parliament, Mr. Horsington was only elected unopposed on one occasion".

A much more detailed obituary appeared in the Barrier Daily Truth (Broken Hill), Thursday 24 July 1947, page 3.

Edward Matthew Horsington's remains were buried in the South Head Cemetery, Vaucluse, Waverley Council, New South Wales, joining those of his wife, Rosalie, who had died nearly a year before him.

In September 1951, a section of the Silverton Highway on the outskirts of Broken Hill, was named Horsington Drive, to commemorate his work, and 180 trees donated by industry were planted as an avenue. Whilst the trees appear not to have survived, the stone cairn related to the naming and planting remains in situ.

References

1. ^ Copy of Victorian Birth Certificate 12264 / 1878, available from www.bdm.vic.gov.au
2. Horsington, Henry (August 1852). "Victoria, Australia, Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, 1839-1923, United Kingdom Immigrants1850-1854. Ticonderoga". Ancestry. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
3. Veitch, Michael (2020). Hell Ship. Crows Nest N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin. p. 214. ISBN 9781760877460.
4. "Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980, Victoria 1856 East Bourke, Pentridge". Ancestry. 1856. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
5. Victoria, Australia, St. Peter's Eastern Hill, Marriages, 1848-1955 for John Waygood Hossington, St Peter´s Eastern Hill, Series 02, Register 1861-1863, Marriage record of John Waygood Horsington, Miner, of Maryborough District, 23 June 1862.
6. Horsington Freehold Claim (28 May 1874). "The Ballarat Star". TROVe. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
7. Lowenstein, Lentas, Dodds, Alexander, James, Robert (1875). "VPRS 267/ P7 unit 364, item 1875/430". Public Records Office of Victoria. Retrieved 22 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
8. Horsington, Edward Matthew (1947). "Who's Who in Australia". Ancestry. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
9. Horsington, Edward Matthew (1947). ""Who's Who in Australia"". Ancestry. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
10. ^ "Mr Edward Matthew Horsington (1878–1947)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
11. The Sun (Sydney, NSW : Fri 18 Oct 1929   Page 3   "MURDERER!" http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article223504542
12. Horsington, E.M. (July 1947). "Various on-line Newspapers". TROVE. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
13. Barrier Miner (Broken Hill), Thu 24 Jul 1947, Page 6 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49566947
14. Barrier Daily Truth (Broken Hill), Thursday 24 July 1947, page 3 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article141122072
15. "Edward Matthew Horsington (1878-1947) - Find A". Find A Grave. 20 November 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
16. Horsington, Edward (10 September 1951). "Monument Australia". Monument Australia. Retrieved 22 June 2021.

• 1878 births
• 1947 deaths
• Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
• Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales