Samuel Raymond Ramsden (10 October 1913 – 1 July 1986) was a member of the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

Biography

Ramsden was born at Carlton,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, the son of Percy Charles Ramsden and his wife Kezia (née Clark). He was educated at Burwood Public School, New South Wales, Summer Hill Public School, Sydney, and

Parramatta High School , motto_translation = The torch of the mind lights the path to glory , logo = Parramatta logo.gif , established = , type = Government-funded co-educational dual modality partially aca ...

before attending

St John's College, Morpeth St John's College, Morpeth, known colloquially as the "Poor Man's College, Armidale", was opened in Armidale in 1898 as a theological college to train clergy to serve in the Church of England in Australia. It moved to Morpeth in 1926 and closed ...

where he studied theology. He was Curate of the NSW parish of

Parkes Parkes may refer to: * Sir Henry Parkes (1815–1896), Australian politician, one of the earliest and most prominent advocates for Australian federation Named for Henry Parkes * Parkes, New South Wales, a regional town * Parkes Observatory, a radi ...

in 1937 before becoming Rector of Geurie in 1939. He was in the

RAAF "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

in World War Two from 1942 to 1945, serving in the South-West Pacific with the fighter wing of the American invasion. 1946 found him in

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...

, working for the Department of Native Labour and he resigned from church appointments in the same year. He was hospitalised as a result of the war in 1947–1949. On 21 November 1946 he married Audrey V Mills and together had one son. He then married Marie Rush Myhill (née Stewart) (died 1985)Family history research
— Queensland Government births, deaths, marriages, and divorces. Retrieved 10 April 2016. and together had one son and two step-daughters. He died in 1986 at Greenslopes in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

and was cremated.Motion of Condolence
—

Hansard ''Hansard'' is the traditional name of the transcripts of parliamentary debates in Britain and many Commonwealth countries. It is named after Thomas Curson Hansard (1776–1833), a London printer and publisher, who was the first official prin ...

. Retrieved 11 April 2016.

Public career

Ramsden, for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

, won the seat of

Merthyr Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...

in the Queensland Legislative Assembly at the 1957 state election. He held the seat until his retirement from politics in 1971. Reverend Ramsden suffered serious problems with his lungs which resulted in a substantial part of both lungs being removed while he was a member of parliament. This impeded his breathing and made it difficult for him to speak for any length of time or to sustain any physical exercise. He was a member of many charitable organisations including being a past chairman and life member of the Multiple Handicapped Association of Queensland, past chairman of the Brisbane Missions to Seamen, past member and chairman of the Metropolitan Fire Brigades Board. He was also a past vice-patron of the Legion of Ex-Servicemen and Women and a Fellow of the

Royal Commonwealth Society The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) is a non-governmental organisation with a mission to promote the value of the Commonwealth and the values upon which it is based. The Society upholds the values of the Commonwealth Charter, promoting conf ...

. Ramsden was also involved in sporting organisations including the

Mayne Australian Football Club Mayne Australian Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in the Brisbane suburb of Enoggera. The club colours are black and gold and they are nicknamed the Tigers. It is the most successful club in the history of the Queensl ...

and Queensland Soccer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramsden, Samuel Raymond Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly 1913 births 1986 deaths Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Queensland 20th-century Australian politicians Fellows of the Royal Commonwealth Society