Francis Robert Burton (9 September 1840 – 4 July 1915) was a Public Servant in the early days of South Australia and is remembered for his work in improving penal treatment of delinquent boys.
He was born the second son of Dr. Richard Francis Burton (ca.1810 – 24 February 1874), surgeon, of
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. In 1852 the family migrated to South Australia and built a home "Bexley" in the
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
suburb of
Sturt. Dr. Richard Francis Burton, aside from his private medical practice, from 1861 to 1874 provided subsidised medical aid to the poor of the
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district. He served as Major in both the local and Adelaide regiments of the South Australian Volunteer Military Force, and was chairman of the District Council of Brighton from 1867 to 1873.
Francis Burton was, in his youth, a fine athlete, successfully competing in walking events. He was a prominent cricketer (listed as "Frank R. Burton"), secretary of the
Kensington Cricket Club
The Kensington District Cricket Club ("The Browns") is a semi-professional cricket club in Adelaide, South Australia. It competes in the South Australian Grade Cricket League, which is administered by the South Australian Cricket Association (SAC ...
, where his older brother James R. Burton was also a member, and one of the first to be given life membership of the
South Australian Cricketing Association. In the late 1850s he joined the Volunteer Regiment. Louisa Harriot Burton (died 22 September 1917), who married
Eden Herschel Babbage
Benjamin Herschel Babbage (6 August 1815 – 22 October 1878) was an English engineer, scientist, explorer and politician, best known for his work in the colony of South Australia He invariably signed his name "B. Herschel Babbage" and was frequ ...
and settled in
Roseville, New South Wales
Roseville is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Ku-ring-gai and Willoughby. Roseville Chase is a separate ...
was a sister. His younger brother, William Burton (ca.1848 – 31 May 1913), a banker, was also to settle in Roseville.
In 1865 he joined the Public Service as a clerk in the Crown Lands Office and in the following years was successively transferred to the Immigration Office then the Local Courts. He was appointed Clerk of the Local Court, first in
Wallaroo
Wallaroo is a common name for several species of moderately large macropods, intermediate in size between the kangaroos and the wallabies. The word "wallaroo" is from the Dharug ''walaru'', and not a portmanteau of the words "kangaroo" and "wal ...
in 1877,
Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...
in 1879, then Adelaide on 1 March 1894.
Youth Penal Reform
While at Wallaroo he founded a boys' club but his real involvement with youth welfare began with his Adelaide appointment. At that time boys were tried in the same court as adult men, and if convicted were sent to a hulk in the Port River. The new Reformatory at
Magill
''Magill'' was an Irish politics and current affairs magazine founded by Vincent Browne and others in 1977. ''Magill'' specialised in investigative articles and colourful reportage by journalists such as Eamonn McCann (who wrote its anonymous ' ...
was under construction but Burton was convinced boys would less likely to be drawn into a life of crime if they had a separate court and different treatment. He felt that miscreant boys should be tried in a Children's Court, where possible without publication of their names; if found guilty sent for a short time to a reformatory at their parents' expense. These suggestions, made before the Destitute Commission in 1884, with the support of R. Turner,
S.M. of Port Adelaide and Sub-inspector Doyle, were accepted and resulted in the formation of the State Children's Department.
In 1888 he received permission to run, at his own expense and in his
Glanville home, a trial scheme where recalcitrant boys were treated with respect and good example. The scheme ran for several years and had numerous successes, though as J. A. Hartley observed, this could have been " ... because the boys feel that he takes an interest in their welfare, probably a new experience for many of them."
He retired at age 75 after several years of indifferent health, to his home in
Belair, then moved to
Roseville, New South Wales
Roseville is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Ku-ring-gai and Willoughby. Roseville Chase is a separate ...
, where his brother-in law
Eden Herschel Babbage
Benjamin Herschel Babbage (6 August 1815 – 22 October 1878) was an English engineer, scientist, explorer and politician, best known for his work in the colony of South Australia He invariably signed his name "B. Herschel Babbage" and was frequ ...
had a home and was deeply involved with the community. He commissioned a large pavilion to be built at Roseville Park, completed in 1915. This was shortly after the death of brother William, of whose will Eden Herschel Babbage and son Francis Eden Babbage were executors.
In the Supreme Court of New South Wales
''Sydney Morning Herald'' 1 July 1913 p.5 accessed 9 October 2011
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burton, Francis Robert
20th-century Australian philanthropists
Australian cricketers
1915 deaths
Cricketers from South Australia
1840 births
English emigrants to colonial Australia
19th-century Australian philanthropists
Kensington cricketers