Titus Lander (5 April 1861 – 8 January 1948) was an Australian politician and
animal welfare
Animal welfare is the well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures such as longevity ...
advocate. He was the first salaried
RSPCA
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity operating in England and Wales that promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA is funded primarily by voluntary donations. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and largest an ...
inspector in
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
, and later served a single term in the state's
Legislative Assembly (from 1911 to 1914), where he secured the passage of an animal welfare bill.
Early life
Lander was born in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, England, to Margaret (née Moran) and James Brooke Lander. He trained as a
stonemason
Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. It is one of the oldest activities and professions in human history. Many of the long-lasting, ancient shelters, temples, mo ...
, which had been his father's profession, and emigrated to
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 ...
in 1883. He later lived for periods in
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 ...
and
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 ...
, working as a
monumental mason. Lander arrived in Western Australia in October 1892.
[Titus (Peter) Lander](_blank)
Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 5 January 2017. He initially continued in the masonry trade, but soon began volunteering as an inspector for the local branch of the
SPCA
A Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is a common name for non-profit animal welfare organizations around the world. The oldest SPCA organization is the RSPCA, which was founded in England in 1824. SPCA organizations operate i ...
. Lander began working full-time for the SPCA in 1894, and until 1906 was the organisation's only salaried inspector in Western Australia. In 1907, he had a
gas chamber
A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or other animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. Poisonous agents used include hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide.
Histor ...
built at his home in
Highgate
Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross.
Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisati ...
, allowing stray cats and dogs to be euthanised humanely.
[HISTORY OF THE RSPCA IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA](_blank)
RSPCA Western Australia. Retrieved 5 January 2016. Outside of his animal welfare work, Lander also sat the
Sanitary Institute exams, allowing him to work as a food inspector for the Perth board of health.
Politics and later life
Lander was elected to the
Perth City Council
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
in 1909,
and to parliament at the
1911 state election, standing for the
Labor Party in the
seat of East Perth.
His candidacy was helped by the fact that the sitting member,
John Hardwick, made a mistake in submitting his nomination and was thus unable to be listed on the ballot.
"THE EAST PERTH NOMINATIONS"
''The West Australian
''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...
'', 25 September 1911. In parliament, Lander introduced a bill which was eventually passed into law as the ''Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1912'', the first of its kind in Western Australia.Bruce Rock
Bruce Rock is a town in the eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, approximately east of Perth and southwest of Merredin. It is the main town in the Shire of Bruce Rock.
History
Originally known as Nunagin or Noonegin, the name of ...
, also providing veterinary services for the surrounding area. He retired to Merredin in 1936, and died in Perth in 1948, aged 86. He had married Lucinda Jane Beattie in 1887, with whom he had four children.
Further reading
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lander, Titus
1861 births
1948 deaths
Animal welfare and rights in Australia
Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia
Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
Animal welfare workers
People from Harrow on the Hill
Perth City Councillors
20th-century Australian politicians
British emigrants to colonial Australia