Herbert Richard Robinson (19 April 1909 – 11 July 1990) was an Australian politician who served in the Legislative Council of Western Australia from 1962 to 1968, representing the Liberal Party. Robinson was born in Perth to Mary Ellen (née Englett) and Richard Herbert Robinson.Herbert Richard Robinson
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 11 May 2016. His father was killed in action in France when he was eight years old, in April 1918. Robinson attended St Patrick's Boys' School, and after leaving school worked for a period as a clerk for the Western Australian Government Railways. In 1933, he and his sister opened the Roxy Gardens, a 900-seater

outdoor theatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

in Maylands. The following year, the Robinsons took over the nearby Lyric Theatre, which had been built in 1928 by Thomas Coombe. They remained owners of both theatres until their eventual closure in the early 1960s, with Robinson serving as president of the Motion Picture Exhibitors' Association of Western Australia from 1951 to 1956.Lyric Theatre and Roxy Gardens
– Australian Museum of Motion Picture and Television. Retrieved 11 May 2016. Robinson enlisted in the Australian Army during World War II, and by the end of the war was a class-one warrant officer. He was elected to the

Perth Road Board The City of Stirling is a local government area in the northern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth about north of Perth's central business district. The City covers an area of and has a population of over 223,000, making ...

(now the

City of Stirling The City of Stirling is a local government area in the northern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth about north of Perth's central business district. The City covers an area of and has a population of over 223,000, makin ...

) in 1951, and from 1959 to 1961 served as its chairman. When the Perth Road Board became the Shire of Perth in 1961, he was elected shire president, serving in the position until he left the council in 1963. In 1956, Robinson unsuccessfully stood as an independent candidate for the Legislative Assembly, gaining 20.4 percent of the vote in the seat of Maylands. He joined the Liberal Party the following year, and was elected to the Legislative Council in 1962, representing the three-member

Suburban Province The Metropolitan-Suburban Province was a three-member electoral province of the Western Australian Legislative Council, located in the metropolitan region of Perth. It was created by the ''Constitution Acts Amendment Act 1899'', and became effect ...

. In 1965, the existing Legislative Council provinces were abolished, and replaced by new two-member provinces. Robinson was appointed to the new

North Metropolitan Province The North Metropolitan Province was a two-member electoral province of the Western Australian Legislative Council, located in metropolitan Perth. It was one of several metropolitan seats created following the enactment of the ''Constitution Acts A ...

, serving a three-year term. He contested the seat in 1968, but lost to Labor's

Roy Claughton Roy Frederick Claughton (14 August 1927 – 26 April 2012) was an Australian politician who served as a Labor Party member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia from 1968 to 1980, representing North Metropolitan Province. Claughton ...

. In retirement, Robinson moved to

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

, dying there in July 1990, aged 81.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Herbert 1909 births 1990 deaths Australian Army soldiers Australian military personnel of World War II Australian Roman Catholics Mayors of places in Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council Politicians from Perth, Western Australia Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia 20th-century Australian politicians Western Australian local councillors

See also

References