Piesse awarded CMG.
FREDERICK HENRY PIESSE
JP MLA CMG
(1853–1912)
Photo courtesy Dome Group
MR. AND MRS. F. H. PIESSE
AT HOME AT KOBEELYA
FAMILY REUNION
SOCIAL GATHERING OF MR. PIESSE’S CONSTITUENTS.
Great Southern Herald
18 January 1908 – P2
For many years Mr. F. H. Piesse has been anxious to bring about the meeting of his family, who have not all met at the same time for twenty years. He has now been successful in arranging for the reunion which takes place at Kobeelya on Wednesday 26th inst. His mother, Mrs. W. R. Piesse, Miss Piesse, Mr. A.N. Piesse, J.P. and Mrs. Piesse and family of Newcastle reached Katanning yesterday, and the remainder of the family arrive on Wednesday morning next.
Mr. Piesse thought this would be a good opportunity to meet his constituents in a social way and he and Mrs. Piesse will be “At Home” at Kobeelya from 4 to 6 of the afternoon of that day. Although, invitations have been issued Mr. and Mrs. Piesse hope that those who may not have received same or have been inadvertently omitted will give them the pleasure of being present.
SOCIAL AT KATANNING.
MR PIESSE HONOURED BY HIS CONSTITUENTS
MANY PROMINENT MEN PRESENT.
A BRILLIANT SUCCESS.
Great Southern Herald
18 January 1908 – P2
The complimentary social arranged by the constituents of Mr. F. H. Piesse, M.L.A., to congratulate him on the distinction conferred upon him by His Majesty King Edward VII in making him a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George and also express their appreciation of his valuable work on behalf of the district and the State had been anticipated with keen interest.
That this interest was not of an evanescent character was amply demonstrated by the splendid gathering which assembled in the Mechanics’ Institute on Wednesday evening. The gathering was one of the largest known in the history of the town and representative men in addition to a large number of ladies, were present from all parts of Mr. Piesse’s constituency to do him honor.
Mr. Piesse has been a member of the State Legislature since the inception of Responsible Government and is practically the pioneer of settlement in the South-West. His efforts in demonstrating the suitableness of the country for settlement, and the backing of his opinion by taking up selections himself, are certainly appreciated by his constituents, who are not backward in giving expression to their feelings.
The gathering was presided over by Dr. House, P.M., and among those on the platform were the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Mr. T. F. Quinlan, Messrs. G. Throssell, and C. A. Piesse, M’s.L.C., Horan and Faulkes, the Mayors of several of the Great Southern towns, and the chairmen of the Roads Boards in the Constituency.
The chairman, in opening the proceedings, said that Mr. Piesse had represented the district for seventeen years, and it was largely owing to his efforts that Katanning had risen to its present importance. The district had raised the best wheat and wine this year, and had started a new industry, the export of fat lambs. They could not help admiring the enterprise and knowledge of their member, which had been thoroughly justified by results achieved by men of the energy and ability necessary to develop the country, and it was only fitting that his constituents should seek to mark their appreciation of all the good Mr. Piesse had done for the district and State. (Applause).
Public men had to sacrifice a good. deal of their private business, and no doubt had Mr Piesse given to his private affairs the time he had devoted to public business, he would have prospered much more. While they had men like Mr Piesse they need not fear for the future of Western Australia. He had started without special advantages and had really carved his way to the front in public life. It was his pleasing task to present to Mr. Piesse, as a souvenir from his constituents, an inscribed gold watch in recognition of his 17 years of service as the Parliamentary representative of the Katanning and Williams districts. (Prolonged applause)
Sir John Forrest, who was enthusiastically received, said that Mr Piesse must be a proud man and Mrs Piesse a proud woman when they received the genuinely kind congratulations of those of whom the have lived so long. (Applause) He was glad of the opportunity to be present to offer his congratulations to Mr. Piesse on receiving such signal honor from the King, and the great honour bestowed upon him by his constituents. When honour came without seeking or asking, as it did in this instance, it was doubly valuable and should be greatly appreciated by Mr. Piesse and those who wished him well. (Applause.)
To be a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St. George was a great distinction for anyone living far from the great centres Mr. Piesse’s case it was well deserved. (Cheers.) He hoped that Mr. Piesse, having got on the first rung of the ladder, would soon get his next grade. He, Sir John, was a Companion of the Order for nine years before getting his next step, and a proud man he was when he received his first.
By his own strong will and determination Mr. Piesse had attained to the high position he now occupied. Te people of the district, and indeed, of the State, owed an immense debt of gratitude to Mr, Piesse for acquiring the possession from the Western Australian Land Company of lands extending from Beverley to Albany. A great deal of the credit for the Act belonged to Mr Piesse. (Applause)
In every way, their guest was a man whom they delighted to honour. Whether as a public man or as a head of a family, they would find few better than he. (Cheers) He, Sir John Forrest, had known Mr Piesse as a friend and a colleague and as a loyal, genuine, and enterprising colonist, and in every capacity he had nothing but the best to say of him. He was a single-minded man who had taken great responsibilities which required ability to carry out, and he had established a record which others in the State would do well to emulate. It was pleasing to him (Sir John Forrest) that Mr. Piesse had been singled out for honor. (Cheers)
He advised Mr. Piesse not to lead such a strenuous life, as his services were of inestimable value, and he suggested that he should allow the young people to take up his work. (Applause.) In conclusion, he wished Mr. Piesse and his good wife every happiness, and the former long life to continue his noble work in the interests of the country. (Applause.)
The Premier, Mr. Newton James Moore, congratulated Mr. Piesse on the distinguished honour conferred on him by the King. It was simply a case, of honor to whom honor was due. Mr. Piesse was known and respected throughout Western Australia, and the whole State was with the gathering that evening in congratulating their member. Katanning was undoubtedly a monument to the enterprise of Mr. Piesse, for it was due to his confidence and progressiveness that the town was what it was today.
For 17 years he had served as the member for the district, and for four and a half years he was Minister for Works and Railways. He, the Premier, as a young Western Australian politician, was proud of the support Mr. Piesse had always given him, for the whole Assembly distended attentively to any remarks on agriculture from the member for Katanning. It was such men with confidence in the future that the State required for its development, and today they had no more representative citizen in politics than the gentleman whom the King had been pleased to honor.
Long might he continue in Parliament as a member actuated by patriotic motives and serving the State of which he was proud to be a native. Mr. Piesse had set an example in the cultivation of land and, when new settlers saw what had been done by one born in the State, they would be encouraged to persevere and assist in making the State one of the most prosperous in the Commonwealth. He was glad to join in congratulating Mr. Piesse, and he hoped that his recent honor would be only a stepping-stone to higher distinction in the future. (Applause.)
The Speaker, Mr. Quinlan, gladly joined in the words of appreciation regarding Mr. Piesse. He had known him for over 30 years, and looked upon him as one of the foremost in the State, and certainly worthy of some distinction. (Hear, hear.) He realised the advantages which the State, and especially Katanning, had enjoyed from Mr. Piesse’s services and was glad to see his constituents so eloquently mark their appreciation of their member. It must be gratifying to him and to his wife to have such a congratulatory demonstration. As a politician, the member for Katanning was respected by every member of the Assembly, irrespective of party differences. (Applause.)
Mr Throssel expressed very great pleasure in being present and pride in the State when he saw four such sons of the soil as the Premier, Sir John Forrest, the Speaker, and Mr. Piesse. (Applause). He had the pleasure of knowing Mr. Piesse from his schoolboy days, and viewed his career with wonder. Mr. Piesse had not been wrapped in cotton wool (laughter) but had achieved his present position and the honor conferred by the King by sheer industry and determination, (Applause) He had never sacrificed principle in the desire to please, or secure preferment. No man he knew in Western Australia was more worthy of the honor bestowed by His Majesty than Mr. Piesse. (Hear, hear). Mr. Throssell concluded by congratulating Mr. Piesse, as well as his good wife and family, upon the honor conferred upon him, and said that they would never have a better or more earnest representative than Mr. Piesse. (Applause)
Mr. A. A. Horan, M.L.A., said that all sides of the House held Mr. Piesse in the highest estimation, and no man commanded more attention when speaking than he did. On behalf of his side of the House he conveyed congratulations to Mr. Piesse on the distinction conferred upon him. (Applause).
Congratulatory speeches were also made by Messrs. T. McGuire on behalf of the Roads Boards of the district; by the mayor of Albany, Mr. McKenaie; the Mayor of Waging, Mr. Nencke, and Mr. T Garstone, representing the residents of the Katanning district.
Mr. Piesse, who was received with a prolonged demonstration of applause, said, that if that night’s eulogy was only deserved in a slight degree he was happy. The encomiums heaped on him made him feel inclined to retire from Parliament before he spoilt his record, but thought he that if the people were still willing to have him as their representative, he would offer himself again. (Applause) At the present time he was the only representative who had sat continuously in the House since the beginning of responsible Government.
Reverting to old history he said that he and two employees laid the foundation of Katanning on January 1, 1889, and it was from that small beginning that the town had grown. At the time he was elected in December, 1899, the population of Katanning was not more than 40. The electors on the Williams roll at that time totalled 125 and, today, they numbered 4,087, showing how the population had increased. Parliament then numbered 30 members, and the electors, 5,707, as against 126,690 at the present time, while the population of the State was 46,000, as compared with 265,000. The public debt had grown from £1,367,060 to £17,600,000, the revenue from £414,000 to £3,500,000, the area under crops in the district from 6,000 acres to 127,000 acres, and the crops in the State from 76,000 to 461,060 acres. The road boards in the district had increased from three to 12 with a revenue of £4,000, and the schools had increased from five with 87 scholars to 27 with 1,055 scholars. That showed in some ways the progress of the district. During what had been to him a long and arduous interval, he had always had faith in the future of the district, and results had justified his optimism.
On his just completed trip he had seen acres which would carry, an enormous population, and the time was coming when all that unsettled land would carry more people than was now thought of. At Katanning they had reaped up to 30 bushels to the acre and three tons of chaff, and yet there were people who tried to disparage that part of the country. He advised people to persevere, and be encouraged by the developments that had been effected by the enterprise, energy, and persistency of other men and women.
The people would have faced many difficulties, but there was sufficient to justify them in bearing up manfully under their burden of development. He was confident of the future, and there was no prouder man in the State today than he, seeing so many new people coming into the district. It was only his confidence in the district, and his desire to see the country prosper, that had enabled him to progress and, by his experience he felt he had been qualified to understand the requirements of the district. The presence of his old friends and colleagues that evening was a great pleasure and satisfaction to him.
The people blamed him at times for what he did, but he had had exceptional opportunities of knowing the country, and he felt that if people would always look into the facts they would save themselves much anxiety, and him much worry. The distinction conferred upon him he appreciated as being given for what he had been able to do for the country, and the souvenir from his constituents was something which would be treasured as a family heirloom. (Applause.)
The musical and elocutionary items contributed formed a very pleasant portion of the evening’s social. Mrs. M. King and Mr. Hessen played the duet “Faust” and received well deserved applause. Miss McArthur was in particularly good voice, and the two songs “Loves Echo” and “The Beautiful Land of Moa” were splendidly rendered and evoked unstinted approval. Mrs. Stapleton’s contribution consisted of a recitation entitled “Trooper Campbell” which was so well given that the audience insisted upon a second item, which Mrs. Stapleton kindly gave. Mr. Barnard’s flute solo was also much appreciated.
The evening’s entertainment concluded with refreshments, and seldom has such a great number of people been so effectively catered for. The tables laid out on either side of the hall looked particularly inviting and, when the time came the time came, everybody received the utmost attention. Too much praise cannot be given to the ladies committee responsible for this part of the work. The whole of the arrangements being carried out without
the slightest hitch or confusion.
HONOR TO WHOM HONOR IS DUE.
Great Southern Herald
18 January 1908 – P2
Wednesday’s demonstrations at Katanning Institute was one of those functions which reflect credit on ail concerned. The electors of the district paid a well-merited compliment to their Parliamentary representative and, in doing so, manifested their own capacity to appreciate high public service. In a young country like this, with its kaleidoscopic challenges, seventeen successive years service in the front line of political life is no light achievement. On the other hand, it is no small testimonial to the great sense of a body of electors to find that year after year, Parliament after Parliament, they have loyally co-operated with their representative and have now crowned the seventeen years association by such a display of good feeling as was witnessed on Wednesday evening.
There is no need to over construe Wednesday’s function. It did not mean that all the people think alike on the matter of Parliamentary representation. Such unanimity could never be found in a progressive community. It would only be possible amongst people who had attained perfection, or people not yet awakened to a life of progress. Wednesday evening’s function did not even mean that any great number of the electors of Katanning are entirely at one with their Parliamentary representative on all the main questions of the day. That too would be an ideal condition of things; but an ideal never yet reached in political life.
But this much it did mean that the broad factors of agreement and goodwill between the electors and their Parliamentary representative dwarf into insignificance the differences existing, and that judged by his seventeen years service to this electorate, and to the State, Mr. Piesse has earned no small measure of public appreciation and gratitude.
Wednesday evening’s function might well set all concerned in it thinking of the relationships between a member of Parliament and his constituency. It is the fashion in certain circles to regard a member of Parliament as a mere delegate to voice, and vote for, the opinions which happen for the time being to command majority support in his electorate. He is indeed a
delegate. He could not go to Parliament if a majority of the voters did regard him as the fittest available mouthpiece and representative of their political views and aspirations. He is their delegate; but he is much more. He is the representative of the whole constituency – of the minority who voted against him – as well as of the majority who voted for him. He represents also the less deserving body of men and women who did not vote at all. In other words he is the representative of the whole constituency.
If his supporters brought him a petition to present, expressing his own views as well as theirs he would, of course, present it. If the opposing Ministry, or non-voting section, brought him an entirely opposite petition, it would be his duty to present that. He must maintain his position as the representative of the electorate.
But he is more than that. From the moment of his election, he steps into the very responsible position of a part of the Council of the Nation. He is not merely the delegate of his supporters, not merely the representative of his electorate but the representative of a whole electorate. He is a representative of his country. For sake of country both he and his constituents must rise above mere electorate considerations, and he must vote for country. Happily, in the main, the interests of the electorate harmonise with the bigger interests of the country, but where they diverge, or conflict, country must override the smaller claim.
That the member for Katanning has laboriously served his constituency is manifest on every hand. The evidences of his work lie open. He not only laid the foundations of the town and district, but has taken a large share in all subsequent developments. That he has also played a worthy part in the larger arena of the country’s representation was amply evidenced on Wednesday by the presence and testimony of his oldest friend Sir John Forrest, and the Premier of the State, and the Speaker of the House. Crowning all these evidences of appreciation has come the “well done” of the Head of the Empire.
There is another feature of Parliamentary representation which will repay a little thought, and that is the identification of a member with the real interests of his district. It is nothing to live in the metropolis and only be seen through the glamor of distance. It is quite another to live in the midst of his constituents and take a share in the affairs of town and district.
The veriest place-seeker may keep up the absentee relationship, and manage to pass muster at the hustings. It takes a strong man to live in the midst of his constituency, in the light of familiar knowledge, competing in the affairs of daily business, and yet commanding public respect and confidence. And it is those strong men who carry the country forward. Place seekers hardly count. But it requires more than a passing thought if electors generally are to do justice to their representative. They naturally indulge the hope of ideal laws and ideal administration.
In the abstraction and quiet of home atmosphere they form large expectations of Parliament and Government. They send up their representatives to see that these ideals are realised with least abatement and least delay. Their representative, with equally fine, if not still finer ideals, finds himself but a part of a complex machinery, whose processes are slow and toilful. He finds that there is no magic by which reforms can be precipitated, and that the progress from what is to what ought to be means many compromises, and much diplomacy. The may seem near and ready to be grasped, but to reach it means persistent effort. Those who have known Katanning’s representative longest and best accord him front rank for strength and sagacity amongst the Councillors of the State.
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