Sir Arthur Gordon Rylah, (3 October 190920 September 1974) was an Australian politician and lawyer
[ who served as Deputy Premier of Victoria from 1955 to 1971.]
Background
Rylah was born in Kew
Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...
, 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 ...
, the son of Walter Robert Rylah, a solicitor, and Helen Isabel Webb.[ He was educated at Trinity Grammar and 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 ...
, where he entered residence at Trinity College Trinity College may refer to:
Australia
* Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales
* Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...
in 1928 reading Arts.["Salvete 1928", ]
The Fleur-de-Lys
', vol. 3, no. 28 (Oct. 928), p. 14. He graduated with a law degree in 1932. On 10 September 1937 Rylah married Ann Flora Froude Flashman
Ann Flora Froude Flashman (Lady Rylah), (1911 - March 1969) was an Australian veterinarian. She was the first woman to enrol in the University of Sydney School of Veterinary Science and the first paid veterinarian at the Lort Smith Animal Hospita ...
, a veterinarian,[ with whom he had two children.
In 1940 he was appointed major in the Australian Imperial Force, serving in the ]Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
, New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu
Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea).
It is a simplified version of ...
and New Britain
New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the Dam ...
. He was mentioned in despatches.
Politics
After being demobilised in January 1946, he returned to practising law, and joined the newly formed 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 ...
. On 17 December 1949 he 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 ...
for Kew
Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...
,[ a safe conservative seat in Melbourne's eastern suburbs. The sitting member, ]Wilfrid Kent Hughes
Sir Wilfrid Selwyn "Bill" Kent Hughes (12 June 1895 – 31 July 1970) was an Australian army officer and politician who had a long career in both state and federal politics, most notably as a minister in the Menzies Government. He also ...
, had moved up to federal politics. Rylah would hold this seat without serious difficulty until he resigned in March 1971.[
Rylah's political colleagues quickly recognised his talents, and in 1953 he was appointed deputy leader of the party][ under party leader ]Henry Bolte
Sir Henry Edward Bolte GCMG (20 May 1908 – 4 January 1990) was an Australian politician who served as the 38th Premier of Victoria. To date he is the longest-serving Victorian premier, having been in office for over 17 consecutive years.
E ...
, a post he would hold for 18 years.
Following the Victorian election of 1955, the Liberal Party gained office. Accordingly, on 7 June 1955, Rylah was appointed Deputy Premier and Chief Secretary of Victoria, as well as Government Leader in the Legislative Assembly.[
Described as a "human dynamo", Rylah had great capacity for work.][ During his time as Chief Secretary he oversaw the consolidation of all Victoria's statutes (1958), introduced legal off-course betting (1960) using the New Zealand Totalisator Agency Board (TAB) as a model, allowed cinemas to open on Sundays (1964), did away with six o'clock closing of hotels, thereby permitting alcohol to be served till 10pm (1965), allowed sport to be played on Sundays (1967), and sponsored legislation for the compulsory wearing of seat-belts for motorists (1970) and to provide for random breath-testing of drivers (1971). As ]attorney general
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
he also approved Australia's last execution with the execution of Ronald Ryan
Ronald Joseph Ryan (21 February 1925 – 3 February 1967) was the last person to be legally executed in Australia. Ryan was found guilty of shooting and killing warder George Hodson during an escape from Pentridge Prison, Victoria, in 1965. ...
in 1967.[
In something of a contrast to this dynamism, Rylah's attitudes regarding morality and censorship were seen by many to be reactionary and repressive. His remark in 1964 that he would not allow his 'teenage daughter' to read Mary McCarthy's novel '']The Group
The Group may refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Group'' (Australian TV series), 1971 situation comedy produced by Cash Harmon Television for ATN7
* ''The Group'' (Canadian TV series), 1968–70 music variety on CBC Television
* ''The Group ...
'' became notorious. When it was pointed out to him that he did not have a teenage daughter (his sole daughter was fully adult), he replied that he could always imagine one. He zealously took on the role of public censor, banning everything from James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...
's ''Ulysses
Ulysses is one form of the Roman name for Odysseus, a hero in ancient Greek literature.
Ulysses may also refer to:
People
* Ulysses (given name), including a list of people with this name
Places in the United States
* Ulysses, Kansas
* Ulysse ...
'' to Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work.
...
's ''Barrack-Room Ballads
The Barrack-Room Ballads are a series of songs and poems by Rudyard Kipling, dealing with the late-Victorian British Army and mostly written in a vernacular dialect. The series contains some of Kipling's best-known works, including the poems " Gu ...
'' ("No, I haven't read it, but with a title like that it must be dirty"). He was also responsible for prohibiting performances of the play '' The Boys in the Band'' (which he condemned as obscene) and for the covering of public statues of Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...
's David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
.
He separated from his wife Ann in 1968, and on 15 March 1969 she was found dead in her garden.[ An autopsy determined that she had died of a ]stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
and the state coroner
A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...
, in an unusual move which generated considerable controversy at the time, allowed her remains to be cremated
Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning.
Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre i ...
without an inquest
An inquest is a judicial inquiry in common law jurisdictions, particularly one held to determine the cause of a person's death. Conducted by a judge, jury, or government official, an inquest may or may not require an autopsy carried out by a coro ...
into her sudden death.[ Within seven months Rylah married Norma Alison ('Ruth') Reiner, ''née'' French, a divorcee 17 years his junior.][ Reiner had four children to three fathers: Ace Phillips, David and Sam Reiner, and Michael Clark. Clark's existence was a family secret until after Reiner's death, when he was contacted by David Reiner.
In the late 1960s Dr Bertram Wainer began a campaign to reform Victoria's anti-abortion laws, claiming they promoted misery, graft and corruption. Rylah refused to deal with him. Both Rylah and Bolte were reluctant to antagonise the ]Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
-dominated Democratic Labor Party, on whose support the government relied, but came under increasing pressure from the media and the Liberal Party's State council to review the matter. In January 1970 William Kaye
William Kaye (February 13, 1813 – November 19, 1890) was the fifteenth Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky from April 4, 1863, to April 1, 1865.
Early life
William Kaye was born on February 9, 1813, in Fornley, Tyas Moor, Yorkshire, England. ...
, QC, was appointed by the government to inquire into Wainer's allegations. His report that year led to the prosecution and gaoling of a number of police officers. The East Kew branch of the Liberal Party showed its dissatisfaction with Rylah's handling of the abortion controversy by challenging (unsuccessfully) his endorsement for the next election.
In February 1971 Rylah announced that he would resign from parliament in the following month. However he collapsed at his desk on 5 March and spent the next four months in hospital. He was succeeded as member for Kew and deputy premier by future premier Dick Hamer
Sir Rupert James Hamer, (29 July 1916 – 23 March 2004), generally known until he was knighted in 1982 as Dick Hamer, was an Australian Liberal Party politician who served as the 39th Premier of Victoria from 1972 to 1981.
Early years
Hamer ...
. He retired to his rural property, pursued his interest in horse-racing, and became a director of several companies. He died on 20 September 1974 in hospital in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to:
People As a given name
*Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name:
**FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855)
** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...
, survived by his second wife, and by the children of his first marriage. Rylah had a state funeral.[
]
Honours
Arthur Rylah was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III.
...
(CMG) in the 1965 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...
list.[
] He was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(KBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours
The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are present ...
of 1968.[ He is commemorated in the name of the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research.
Sir Arthur Rylah Oval in Kew, Victoria was named in his honour, and plays hosts to sporting matches from local school, Xavier College (Burke Hall Campus).
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rylah, Arthur
1909 births
1974 deaths
People educated at Trinity Grammar School, Kew
People educated at Trinity College (University of Melbourne)
Politicians from Melbourne
Melbourne Law School alumni
Deputy Premiers of Victoria
Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria
Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Australian politicians awarded knighthoods
Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
Attorneys-General of Victoria
20th-century Australian politicians
Australian Army personnel of World War II
Australian Army officers
People from Kew, Victoria