James Page (1861 – 3 June 1921) was an Australian politician. He was an

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...

member of the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. The term of members of the ...

from 1901 until his death, representing the electorate of Maranoa.

Early life

Page was born in London, England, and was raised and educated in a Barnardo's Home. He joined the British Army, serving from 1877 to 1883, and fighting as a gunner in the Royal Artillery in the

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, coupl ...

, seeing action in the

Battle of Rorke's Drift The Battle of Rorke's Drift (1879), also known as the Defence of Rorke's Drift, was an engagement in the Anglo-Zulu War. The successful British defence of the mission (station), mission station of Rorke's Drift, under the command of Lieutenants ...

, and then again serving in the

First Boer War The First Boer War ( af, Eerste Vryheidsoorlog, literally "First Freedom War"), 1880–1881, also known as the First Anglo–Boer War, the Transvaal War or the Transvaal Rebellion, was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881 betwee ...

. He "bought himself out of" the army after his war service and undertook casual work such as bricklaying, before migrating to

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_ ...

in the 1880s on the ship ''Scottish Hero'', arriving in

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...

with little to his name. In Queensland, Page worked odd jobs such as fencer, navvy, bush carpenter and bricklayer, as a ganger on the Queensland Central Railway, and as overseer of works for the

Barcaldine Divisional Board The Shire of Barcaldine was a local government area located in central Queensland and headquartered in the town of Barcaldine. It covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1892 until 2008, when it amalgamated with the ...

. He is occasionally reported as having been a shearer, and some form of union leader during the 1891 shearers strike, but that appears to be incorrect. He became the proprietor of the Welcome Home Hotel in Barcaldine in 1893, but gave up that lease in 1897 and took over the Exchange Hotel, which he operated until his election to parliament. He was Provincial Grand Master of the Rockhampton District and later Queensland Grand Master of the

Independent Order of Odd Fellows The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political and non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Order of Odd ...

and was a Past Master of the Barcaldine Masonic Lodge.

Politics

In 1901, he was elected to the

in the first federal election, winning the

rural seat of Maranoa for the Labor Party. He held the position of party whip from 1913. He held the seat until his death in 1921. In later years, Page "disposed of his western interests" and lived for several years in Brisbane. He had reportedly had "some months of painful illness" in 1920, including an eye condition that left him facing possible blindness. Page died in his bed in

Moonee Ponds Moonee Ponds is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Moonee Valley local government area. Moonee Ponds recorded a population of 16,224 at the 2 ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, on 3 June 1921; although he had been ill the previous year, he had been active in the House as late as the previous day and his death was sudden and unexpected. His funeral was held at

St John's Cathedral :''This list is for St. John the Evangelist Cathedrals. For St. John the Baptist Cathedrals, see St. John the Baptist Cathedral (disambiguation)'' St. John's Cathedral, St. John Cathedral, or Cathedral of St. John, or other variations on the name ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, and he was buried in

Toowong Cemetery Toowong Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on the corner of Frederick Street and Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland's largest cemet ...

.Page James
— Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search. Retrieved 3 January 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Page, Jim Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Maranoa Members of the Australian House of Representatives 1861 births 1921 deaths Burials at Toowong Cemetery 20th-century Australian politicians British emigrants Immigrants to colonial Australia British Army personnel of the Anglo-Zulu War British military personnel of the First Boer War Royal Artillery soldiers Military personnel from London