Charles Lydiard Aubrey Abbott (4 May 1886 – 30 April 1975) was an Australian politician and
administrator of the Northern Territory
The Administrator of the Northern Territory is an official appointed by the Governor-General of Australia to represent the government of the Commonwealth in the Northern Territory, Australia. They perform functions similar to those of a state gov ...
. He was born at
St Leonards St Leonards may refer to:
Places Australia
*St Leonards, New South Wales
**St Leonards railway station
*St Leonards, Tasmania, suburb of Launceston
*St Leonards, Victoria
Canada
*St. Leonard's, Newfoundland and Labrador
New Zealand
* St L ...
, Sydney, to Thomas Kingsmill Abbott, a magistrate, and Marion, née Lydiard. He came from a political family – his uncles,
Sir Joseph Abbott and
William Abbott, had served in the
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...
, while his cousins,
Joe Abbott and
Mac Abbott
Macartney "Mac" Abbott (3 July 1877 – 30 December 1960) was an Australian politician. Born in Murrurundi, New South Wales, he was educated at King's School, Parramatta. He became a farmer and grazier in the Upper Hunter area of New South Wal ...
, would later enter Federal parliament.
Early life and military service
Educated at
The King's School, Sydney
, motto_translation = "Bravely and Faithfully"
, streetaddress = 87–129 Pennant Hills Road
, city = North Parramatta, Sydney
, state = New South Wales
, country = Australia
, coordinat ...
, he left school at 14 to work as a
jackeroo near
Gunnedah
Gunnedah is a town in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia and is the seat of the Gunnedah Shire local government area. In the the town recorded a population of 9,726. Gunnedah is situated within the Liverpool Plains, a fertile agricultur ...
; he also attempted to become an actor in Sydney and a stockman in
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
. He joined the
New South Wales Police Force
The New South Wales Police Force (NSW Police Force; previously the New South Wales Police Service and New South Wales Police) is the primary law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Divided into Police Area Commands (P ...
and on 1914 enlisted in the
Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force, and then transferred to the
Australian Imperial Force, and served in
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu
Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea).
It is a simplified version of ...
,
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...
, and
Sinai
Sinai commonly refers to:
* Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
* Mount Sinai, a mountain in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
* Biblical Mount Sinai, the site in the Bible where Moses received the Law of God
Sinai may also refer to:
* Sinai, South Dakota, a place ...
. He married Hilda Gertrude Hartnett on 24 October 1916 in
Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is the largest Catholic church in the UK and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster.
The site on which the cathedral stands in the City of ...
in London, where he had been sent after falling ill in the trenches. He returned to World War I in 1917, and took part in the
Egyptian Expeditionary Force
The Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) was a British Empire military formation, formed on 10 March 1916 under the command of General Archibald Murray from the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and the Force in Egypt (1914–15), at the beginning ...
advance to
Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
, motto =
, image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg
, image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg
, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
. He was wounded in 1918, and promoted to captain. He returned to Australia in 1920.
Member of Parliament
Abbott bought a property near
Tamworth, New South Wales, financed by his uncle William, and became active in the Graziers' Association of New South Wales and the Northern New State League. He made an unsuccessful attempt to enter the
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...
in 1925 via the seat of
Namoi, but defeated
Lou Cunningham
Lucien Lawrence "Lou" Cunningham (4 June 1889 – 23 March 1948) was an Australian farmer and politician.
Early life
Cunningham was born at Inverell, New South Wales, to a farmer, Eugene Cunningham, and his wife Mary, née Edgeworth, both ...
to win
Gwydir for the
Country Party at the federal elections of that year. He rose quickly through parliament and became
Minister for Home Affairs
An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergenc ...
in 1928, but was defeated at the 1929 elections.
Administrator of the Northern Territory
No longer a member of parliament, Abbott became secretary to the Primary Producers' Advisory Council, and it has been suggested that he was an organiser of the
paramilitary
A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...
Old Guard. He was returned as the member for Gwydir in 1931 and remained in parliament until 1937, when he was appointed
administrator of the Northern Territory
The Administrator of the Northern Territory is an official appointed by the Governor-General of Australia to represent the government of the Commonwealth in the Northern Territory, Australia. They perform functions similar to those of a state gov ...
. Perceived as insensitive, arrogant and
authoritarian
Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic votin ...
, he was met with hostility by many Northern Territorians, especially in
Darwin, although he had a good relationship with the pastoral industry. He was instrumental in removing
Cecil Cook as chief protector of
Aborigines in 1938 and, although he was on good terms with his Aboriginal staff, he was a
paternalist
Paternalism is action that limits a person's or group's liberty or autonomy and is intended to promote their own good. Paternalism can also imply that the behavior is against or regardless of the will of a person, or also that the behavior expres ...
who viewed Aborigines mostly as a resource.
Abbott was almost killed in the Japanese bombing attack on Darwin in 1942, and was criticised for lack of leadership. The administration was evacuated to
The Residency in
Alice Springs
Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...
and returned in 1945, although he was deposed the following year.
In 1943, Abbott wrote to
Joseph Carrodus
Joseph Aloysius Carrodus (3 September 1885 – 8 April 1961) was a senior Australian public servant.
Early life and career
Joseph Carrodus was born on 3 September 1885 in Richmond, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He studied at St. Patrick's Co ...
, secretary of the
Department of the Interior, proposing that the federal government use
compulsory acquisition
Eminent domain (United States, Philippines), land acquisition (India, Malaysia, Singapore), compulsory purchase/acquisition (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom), resumption (Hong Kong, Uganda), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Austr ...
to destroy
Darwin's Chinatown and thereby reduce the territory's Chinese population. He referred to "the elimination of undesirable elements which Darwin has suffered from far too much in the past" and stated that he hoped to "entirely prevent the Chinese quarter forming again". He further observed that "if land is acquired from the former Chinese residents there is really no need for them to return as they have no other assets". The federal government subsequently passed the ''Darwin Lands Acquisition Act 1945'' which compulsorily acquired of land owned by Chinese-Australians. The territory's civilian population had mostly been evacuated during the war and the former Chinatown residents returned to find their homes and businesses reduced to rubble.
Later life
In 1950 he published a book, ''Australia's Frontier Province'', in which he surveyed the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
's development. He retired to
Bowral
Bowral () is the largest town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, about ninety minutes southwest of Sydney. It is the main business and entertainment precinct of the Wingecarribee Shire and Highlands.
Bowral once served ...
and continued writing. He died on 30 April 1975 at
Darlinghurst
Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district (CBD) and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the City of Sydney. ...
, and was given a
state funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...
. He was the last surviving member of
Stanley Bruce
Stanley Melbourne Bruce, 1st Viscount Bruce of Melbourne, (15 April 1883 – 25 August 1967) was an Australian politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Australia from 1923 to 1929, as leader of the Nationalist Party.
Born ...
's Cabinet.
References
*
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott, Aubrey
1886 births
1975 deaths
Australian police officers
Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Gwydir
Members of the Australian House of Representatives
Members of the Cabinet of Australia
National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia
Administrators of the Northern Territory
20th-century Australian politicians
Australian military personnel of World War I
Australian Army officers