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Revision as of 04:57, 12 December 2024 by ITBF (talk | contribs) (create)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)| Robert Broinowski | |
|---|---|
| Clerk of the Australian Senate | |
| In office 1 January 1939 – 30 November 1942 | |
| Preceded by | George Monahan |
| Succeeded by | John Edwards |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1877-12-01)1 December 1877 Balwyn, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 16 August 1959(1959-08-16) (aged 81) Lindfield, New South Wales, Australia |
| Spouse(s) |
Grace Evans
(m. 1906; div. 1926) Kathleen Knell (m. 1927) |
| Relations | Charles Gavan Duffy (father) John Gavan Duffy (half-brother) Frank Gavan Duffy (brother) Louise Gavan Duffy (half-sister) George Gavan Duffy (half-brother) |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne |
Robert Arthur Broinowski (1 December 1877 – 16 August 1959) was an Australian public servant. He served as clerk of the Australian Senate from 1939 to 1942.
Early life
Broinowski was born on 1 December 1877 in Balwyn, Victoria. He was one of eight children born to Jane (née Smith) and Gracius Broinowski. His father was a Polish-born ornithologist and artist who arrived in Australia in the 1850s.
Broinowski and his family moved to Sydney in 1880. He attended a state school in Milsons Point, then went on to St Aloysius' College where his father was an art teacher.
Career
In 1902, Broinowski joined the Commonwealth Public Service in Melbourne as a clerk with the Department of Defence, a position obtained via Prime Minister Edmund Barton who was a friend of his father. In 1907 he was appointed private secretary to the Minister for Defence, working under Thomas Ewing, George Pearce, and Joseph Cook.
Broinowski transferred to Federal Parliament in 1911 as a clerk and shorthand writer in the Department of the Senate, working out of Parliament House, Melbourne. He was promoted to clerk of papers in 1915 and to usher of the black rod, clerk of committees, and accountant in 1920. As usher of the black rod, he was involved in the ceremonial opening of the first sitting of parliament in the new capital Canberra in 1927.
Broinowski was promoted to clerk-assistant of the Senate in 1930 and succeeded as clerk of the Senate on 1 January 1939. He had "a reputation as a fierce defender of the dignity and forms of the Senate".
Personal life
In 1906, Broinowski married Grace Evans, a professional violinist, with whom he had two sons. He was divorced in 1926 and remarried the following year to Kathleen Knell, with whom he had a daughter. He retired to Sydney and died at his home in Lindfield on 16 August 1959, aged 81.
References
- ^ Thompson, John R. (1979). "Robert Arthur Broinowski (1877–1959)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 7. Melbourne University Press.
- Chisholm, A. H. (1969). "Gracius Joseph Broinowski (1837–1913)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 3. Melbourne University Press.
- ^ Broinowski, Richard (2004). "Broinowski, Robert Arthur (1877–1959)". The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate. Vol. 2. Melbourne University Press.