Sir Robert Kyffin Thomas (19 August 1851 – 13 June 1910) was a

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

n newspaper proprietor. Sir Robert was born at

Nailsworth, South Australia Nailsworth is a suburb four km north of Adelaide, South Australia. The suburb borders Sefton Park, Prospect, Broadview, Medindie Gardens and Collinswood Collinswood is a suburb of Adelaide spanning the boundary of the Prospect and t ...

, the son of

William Kyffin Thomas William Kyffin Thomas (4 November 1821 – 4 July 1878) was a newspaper proprietor in South Australia. William, the son of Robert Thomas, was born in Fleet Street, London and emigrated to South Australia with his father in 1836 on the . From tha ...

, proprietor of the ''

South Australian Register ''The Register'', originally the ''South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register'', and later ''South Australian Register,'' was South Australia's first newspaper. It was first published in London in June 1836, moved to Adelaide in 1837, and f ...

''. Thomas's grandfather Robert Thomas printed ''South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register'' in London in 1829, and ''The South Australian Register'', the first South Australian newspaper, in 1839. He also printed the first ''Government Gazette'', but lost that business when he ran foul of

Governor Gawler Lieutenant-Colonel George Gawler, KH, (21 July 1795 – 7 May 1869) was the second Governor of South Australia, at the same time serving as Resident Commissioner, from 17 October 1838 until 15 May 1841. Biography Early life Gawler, born on 21 ...

. Thomas was educated at Mr. J. L. Young's'

Adelaide Educational Institution Adelaide Educational Institution was a privately run non-sectarian academy for boys in Adelaide founded in 1852 by John Lorenzo Young.B. K. Hyams'Young, John Lorenzo (1826–1881)' ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 6, Melbourne Unive ...

, a contemporary of the Right Hon. C. C. Kingston. He took up journalism at the age of 18 and was soon chief reporter. He was admitted as a partner in the firm in 1877, and at the time of his death he was the senior proprietor of ''The Register''. Thomas was a prominent member of the South Australian branch of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

,Return of Mr. R. Kyffin Thomas
''The Register'' Monday 19 January 1903 p.4 accessed 14 April 2011 the

Adelaide Chamber of Commerce , merged = , successor = , formation = {{start date and age, 1839, df=y , founder = , founding_location = , extinction = , merger = {{plain list, * South Australian E ...

and the Adelaide Glee Club and served a term as president of each. He was treasurer of the Old Colonists' Association, an active Freemason and a Justice of the Peace for 22 years. While in Great Britain in 1902 Thomas helped form the committee which commissioned Captain Adrian Jones to create the South African War Memorial, to be seen on the corner of

King William Road King William Street is the part of a major arterial road that traverses the CBD and centre of Adelaide, continuing as King William Road to the north of North Terrace and south of Greenhill Road; between South Terrace and Greenhill Road it is ...

and

North Terrace, Adelaide North Terrace is one of the four terraces that bound the central business and residential district of Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. It runs east–west, along the northern edge of "the square mile". The western end cont ...

, in front of

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries. Gover ...

. On the same trip he acquired a number of paintings for the

National Gallery of South Australia The Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), established as the National Gallery of South Australia in 1881, is located in Adelaide. It is the most significant visual arts museum in the Australian state of South Australia. It has a collection of ...

. He was knighted in January 1909, one of the last to be conferred by

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

. Thomas died on 13 June 1910 in Ardington, North Adelaide, South Australia.

Family

In 1876 Thomas married Amelia Bowen (c. 1855 – 15 July 1922), daughter of Robert George Bowen, of Adelaide, on 6 January 1876. Their home for many years was "Ardington",

Brougham Place, North Adelaide Brougham Place is a street lined with large mansions set in landscaped grounds in the Adelaide suburb of North Adelaide, South Australia. It surrounds Brougham Gardens, ( Park 29 of the Adelaide Park Lands), that joins the three grids that ...

. Among their children were: *Reginald Kyffin Thomas (7 November 1881 – 16 December 1914) *Geoffry Kyffin Thomas (2 July 1883 – 1953) married Harriott Maria Birrell Haynes (1884 – 29 February 1952) on 5 September 1908. Harriott was the fourth daughter of Rev. J. C. Haynes *Owen Kyffin Thomas (1898–1963) married Jean Thornton Creswell (29 July 1897 – 1970) on 25 February 1922. She was the youngest daughter of

John Creswell John Andrew Jackson Creswell (November 18, 1828December 23, 1891) was an American politician and abolitionist from Maryland, who served as United States Representative, United States Senator, and as Postmaster General of the United States app ...

. *Millicent Kyffin Thomas (1876 – ) married David Thomas Harbison MD ChM (c. 1871 – 12 July 1953) in 1922. David was SA tennis champion, moved to Bowral, New South Wales. Their only son was killed in Italy during WWII. *Hilda Kyffin Thomas (2 April 1878 – 1947) married Leonard Hack (1876–1912) on 28 July 1906. Leonard was a grandson of

John Barton Hack John Barton Hack (2 July 1805 – 4 October 1884) was an early settler in South Australia; a prominent farmer, businessman and public figure. He lost his fortune in the financial crisis of 1840 and despite his best efforts, never regained anything ...

. *Nora Kyffin Thomas (5 June 1880 – 13 January 1951) Nora was a noted violinist, studied under Hermann Heinicke, joined Carmelite Convent, Exmouth, England as Sister Teresa. *Kathleen Kyffin Thomas (7 February 1891 – 1973) Kathleen was Divisional Commandant of Red Cross, never married.Death of Miss Nora Kyfffin Thomas
''The Advertiser'' 17 January 1951 p.11 accessed 15 April 2011 Sir Robert had one surviving brother, Evan Kyffin Thomas (1866 – 27 July 1935), and six sisters: Mrs George Birks, Mrs. William Neill, Mrs

Charles Birks Charles Birks & Co Ltd. was a South Australian department store founded by Charles Napier Birks in Rundle Street, Adelaide. His son Napier Birks took over the business in 1908. The business was acquired by David Jones Limited in 1954. History Ch ...

, Mrs. J. Edwin Thomas, Mrs. G. B. Mallam and Miss Margaret Thomas. Amelia Thomas, née Bowen, was an aunt of Esther Gwendolyn "Stella" Bowen (1893–1947), renowned artist and writer.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Robert Kyffin 1851 births 1910 deaths Robert Kyffin People from Adelaide People educated at Adelaide Educational Institution Burials in South Australia Australian Knights Bachelor 19th-century Australian businesspeople