Obituaries Australia

Charles Fern

Freeman's Journal (Sydney), 25 April 1918, p 27

Mr. Charles Fern (M.L.A. for Cobar) died early on Friday morning after a lingering illness, at the age of 33 years. Some years ago, while working as a miner, he contracted a pulmonary ailment, and it was a recrudescence of this trouble, developed while he was serving with the Australian troops in France in 1918 that was responsible for his death.

A son of Mr. James Fern, of Redfern, and a native of Glebe, the deceased was educated at the Marist Brothers' School, North Sydney, where he won a scholarship. He chose mining as his early calling, and later became actively identified with the A.M.A. as organiser, branch secretary at Yerranderie, president of the organisation in New South Wales, and a vice-president of the Australasian body. When only 26 years of age he was elected unopposed for the Cobar seat in the Legislative Assembly in succession to the late Mr. Donald Macdonell, and had retained it ever since. He was a staunch and valued member of the Labor Party and, besides having occupied a vice-presideney on the P.L.L. executive, did valuable organising work. He was very popular both inside and outside the movement.

Always keenly alive to the necessity of Australia playing her part in the war to the full, the late Mr. Fern put in several strenuous months in recruiting work, and eventually in October, 1916, despite the fact that he was a married man with a wife and young family, he volunteered for service himself, and was accepted. He had not long been in the firing line, however, when he was invalided to England suffering from shell shock and pneumonia. He returned to Sydney little more than twelve months ago, and his health had been gradually falling ever since.

The late Mr. Fern is survived by a widow and four young children, all girls, the oldest and youngest of whom are 13 and 7 years of age respectively.

The funeral will leave St. Mary's Cathedral at 2.45 this afternoon.