Ernest Lancelot Grimstone (1883 – 22 October 1933) was an Australian politician. He was a

Country and Progressive National Party The Country and Progressive National Party was a short-lived conservative political party in the Australian state of Queensland. Formed in 1925, it combined the state's conservative forces in a single party and held office between 1929 and 1932 u ...

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 ...

from 1928 until 1933, representing the electorate of

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

. Grimstone was born and educated in

Mackay Mackay may refer to: *Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives Mackay may also refer to: Places Australia * Mackay Region, a local government area ** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region *** Mackay Airpor ...

. He worked for the North Eton Sugar Milling Company after leaving school, but became a career teacher with the

Queensland Department of Education The Department of Education is a ministerial department of the Queensland Government responsible for the administration and quality of education in Queensland, Australia. The department is composed of two separate portfolios, Education Queen ...

after 1904. He taught at Ulam, near Rockhampton, Windorah West, Forsayth and

Springsure Springsure is a town and a locality in the Central Highlands Region, Queensland, Australia. It is south of Emerald on the Gregory Highway. It is the southern terminus of the Gregory Highway and the northern terminus of the Dawson Highway. It ...

, before being appointed headmaster at Yarraman Creek State School. While teaching on the

Darling Downs The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was general ...

, he also farmed experimental lots, mainly dealing in wheat and corn. Grimstone enlisted during World War I, trained at the

Royal Military College, Duntroon lit: Learning promotes strength , established = , type = Military college , chancellor = , head_label = Commandant , head = Brigadier Ana Duncan , principal = , city = Campbell , state ...

, and was commissioned as a lieutenant. He subsequently served with the 9th Battalion in France from May to November 1918. Following the end of the war, he returned to Yarraman. He was involved in the local community in the years after the war, serving as chairman of the local ambulance committee and as vice-president of the local branch of the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly at a 1928 by-election, following the death of incumbent Stanley MP Frederick Lancelot Nott, defeating former MP and independent candidate

Henry Plantagenet Somerset Henry Plantagenet Somerset (19 May 1852 – 11 April 1936) was a pioneer pastoralist and politician in Queensland, Australia. Somerset was a liberal politician who represented the district of Stanley in the Queensland Legislative Assembly fr ...

by 520 votes. He was re-elected by a much larger margin at the 1929 election without Somerset on the ballot. When the CPNP won the 1932 election under Arthur Edward Moore, he was appointed to the panel of temporary Chairman of Committees and as assistant secretary of the Country Party section of government members.

The Courier-Mail ''The Courier-Mail'' is an Australian newspaper published in Brisbane. Owned by News Corp Australia, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner northe ...

reported that Grimstone was a "popular member on both sides of the House" and that "his tolerance and his broadmindedness won him popularity". Grimstone suffered a seizure at Toogoolawah in 1933, from which he never fully recovered. He suffered a further seizure while on a visit to Esk in October, and died at the Esk Hospital on 22 October without regaining consciousness. Labor leader

William Forgan Smith William Forgan Smith (15 April 188725 September 1953) was an Australian politician. He served as Premier of the state of Queensland from 1932 to 1942. He came to dominate politics in the state during the 1930s, and his populism, firm leadershi ...

expressed shock at Grimstone's sudden death, as it was reported that his health had been improving. He was buried at

Toowong Cemetery Toowong Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on the corner of Frederick Street and Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland's largest ceme ...

.Grimstone Ernest Lancelot
— Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search. Retrieved 3 May 2015. The resulting by-election was easily won by CPNP candidate Roy Bell in the absence of a Labor candidate.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grimstone, Ernest Lancelot 1883 births 1933 deaths Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Burials at Toowong Cemetery People from Mackay, Queensland Royal Military College, Duntroon graduates 20th-century Australian politicians