Theodore Fink (3 July 1855 – 25 April 1942) was an Australian politician, newspaper
proprietor
Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different ...
and
educationist
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Var ...
.
Early life
Fink was born in
Guernsey
Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency.
It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...
on the
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...
, the son of Moses Fink, a shopkeeper, and his wife Gertrude, ''
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
'' Ascher.
[
] Brought to
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
, Australia by his father in 1860, he was educated at the
Flinders School,
Geelong
Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...
, at
Geelong College
, motto_translation = Thus one goes to the stars
, established =
, type = Independent, co-educational, day and boarding, Christian school
, denomination = in association with the Uniting ...
, and at
Melbourne Church of England Grammar School
Melbourne Grammar School is an Australian Independent school, independent Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican Day school, day and boarding school. It comprises a co-educational preparatory school from Prep to Year 6 and a middle school and seni ...
from 1871, where
Alfred Deakin
Alfred Deakin (3 August 1856 – 7 October 1919) was an Australian politician who served as the second Prime Minister of Australia. He was a leader of the movement for Federation, which occurred in 1901. During his three terms as prime ministe ...
was a classmate and friend.
Fink qualified as a solicitor at the
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...
and established a successful practice.
Political career
In September 1894 Fink was elected to the
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne.
The presiding ...
as member for
Jolimont and West Richmond, holding the seat for 10 years. On 5 December 1899 he became a minister without portfolio in the
Allan McLean ministry. The treasurer
William Shiels
William Shiels (3 December 1848 – 17 December 1904) was an Australian colonial-era politician, serving as the 16th Premier of Victoria.
Biography
Shiels was born in Maghera, County Londonderry, a town in the centre of Ulster in the north of ...
had been in bad health and the intention was that Fink should act as an assistant to him. He, however, objected to some personal remarks made by Shiels at a public meeting referring to the ministry just displaced, and resigned from the ministry. It was generally felt that his reasons were insufficient, and his action did harm to his future career as a politician. He supported the federation movement and stood for
Kooyong in the House of Representatives at the
first federal election in March 1901, but was defeated by
William Knox. He still held his seat in the Victorian assembly but retired in 1904 and never afterwards entered politics.
Educationist
During his political career, Fink had been doing valuable work in another direction. He was president of the royal commission on technical education in 1899-1901 which resulted in reforms in primary and technical schools, and he was also president of the royal commission on the University of Melbourne in 1902-4. In August 1904 he was thanked by parliament for his services to education. Subsequently, he was chairman of conferences on apprenticeship in 1906-7 and 1911, chairman of a board of inquiry into the working-men's college in 1910, vice-president of the council of public education, vice-chairman of the state war council of Victoria, and chairman of the Commonwealth repatriation board for Victoria in 1917-19.
Newspaper director
In his younger days Fink had done some writing for the press and in 1889 he became a director of the
Herald and Sportsman Newspapers Co. Ltd, after being in some financial difficulty after the land boom collapse.
A few years later he became chairman of directors. It was generally believed that Fink was an important factor in the great improvement that took place in the conduct of ''The Herald'', and that he was largely responsible for the appointment of such excellent editors as
Guy Innes
Guy Innes (1879–1953) was an Australian journalist who was the editor of '' The Herald'' newspaper in Melbourne between 1918 and 1921.
Innes was born in Ballarat and became a journalist for '' The Argus'' in 1900. In 1910 he moved to ''The Her ...
and
Sir Keith Murdoch
Sir Keith Arthur Murdoch (12 August 1885 – 4 October 1952) was an Australian journalist, businessman and the father of Rupert Murdoch, the current Executive chairman for News Corporation and the chairman of Fox Corporation.
Early life
Murdoc ...
. Fink later resisted Murdoch's attempts to be made a director.
[ He retained his interest in the press until the end of his long life. He died in his Toorak (a Melbourne suburb) home on 25 April 1942. He married in 1881 Kate, daughter of George Isaacs, who predeceased him; he was survived by two sons and two daughters.
]
Other interests
Fink was much interested in the arts and literature and was widely read. In his earlier days he was well known as an excellent after-dinner speaker
Public speaking, also called oratory or oration, has traditionally meant the act of speaking face to face to a live audience. Today it includes any form of speaking (formally and informally) to an audience, including pre-recorded speech delive ...
, and his witty speeches at social gatherings of artists and literary men were much appreciated. Though he was also well known in the business life of Melbourne as a lawyer and a power in the newspaper world, comparatively few people realized the full value of his educational work. The advance in education in Victoria during the first quarter of the twentieth century was based on the report of the commissions over which he presided, and his recognition of the ability of Frank Tate led to his appointment as director of education and the great expansion which followed.
Fink was a member of the Eclectic Association, fellow members included Arthur Patchett Martin
Arthur Patchett Martin (18 February 1851 – 15 February 1902), was an Australian writer and literary critic.
Martin was born in Woolwich, Kent, England, the son of George Martin and his wife Eleanor, ''née'' Hill. The family migrated to Austra ...
, Arthur Topp
Arthur Maning Topp (7 October 1844 – 17 January 1916)
was an Australian journalist who helped to establish the Melbourne ''Review''.
Topp was born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, being the eldest son of the late Samuel Topp, who emigrated to Austr ...
, Alfred Deakin
Alfred Deakin (3 August 1856 – 7 October 1919) was an Australian politician who served as the second Prime Minister of Australia. He was a leader of the movement for Federation, which occurred in 1901. During his three terms as prime ministe ...
and David Mickle.[
]
Fink was President of the Victorian Football Association
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
. In 1896/97 when the eight strongest teams left the VFA to form the Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
, Fink's wise leadership ensured that the VFA continued to retain an important presence in Victorian sporting circles.
References
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fink, Theodore
1855 births
1942 deaths
Victoria (Australia) state politicians
Australian educational theorists
Australian federationists
Guernsey emigrants to Australia
VFA/VFL administrators
British emigrants to colonial Australia
19th-century Australian politicians
People educated at Melbourne Grammar School
Australian solicitors
20th-century Australian politicians
People educated at Geelong College