Obituaries Australia

Charlie Frazer, by Crown Studios, n.d.

National Library of Australia, 23397702

Australians of every shade of political opinion were sincerely grieved on Tuesday last when they learned of the sudden and unexpected death of Mr. C. E. [Charles Edward] Frazer, Labor M.H.R. for Kalgoorlie, and Postmaster-General in the Fisher Administration.

Mr. Frazer was not physically robust, and last week he developed a heavy cold. He treated the illness lightly, and declined to seek medical attention, with the result that the Cold settled on his lungs, and pneumonia supervened. On Sunday he was removed to Dr. O'Hara's private hospital, but despite all the highly skilled attention that was brought into requisition he became worse, and died at 10 o'clock on Tuesday morning.

As soon as the sad news of Mr. Frazer's death was made known the House of Representatives adjourned, and Mr. Wynne, with kindly promptitude, placed one of the Federal cars, at the disposal of Mr. Fisher who was acting for Mrs. Frazer. 

Charlie Frazer was a native of Victoria. He was born at Yarrawonga in 1880. In 1895, when the West was a-gleam with golden glory, he migrated to West Australia where, in the vicinity of the Golden Mile, he worked as an engine-driver. At a very early age he became President of the Boulder Enginedrivers' Association, secretary of the Trades Hall, and a member of the Kalgoorlie City Council. He showed such rare fighting ability as a Labor propagandist, and by deep and persistent study equipped his natural brilliancy to such an extent that in 1903 he secured the Labor nomination for the Federal constituency of Kalgoorlie. He won the election with flying colors, and, although he was the youngest member in the House of Representatives, being only 23 at the time, he immediately became one of the most talked-of members in the Federal sphere. His bitterest enemies — and to Frazer's credit, be it said, he made bitter political enemies (the best recommendation a Labor member can possess) — there wasn't one of them who was prepared to deny his brilliancy and consuming earnestness; neither was there one of them — not even the brilliant Deakin himself—eager to bear the brunt of the defence when the youthful member for the Goldfields threw down the gauntlet and placed himself in the van of the attack. During the reign of the ill-assorted Fusion it was Frazer who watched every move, exposed every blunder, and every sign of internal weakness, denounced each development of the unholy intrigue — and finally, in 1910, when the Fusion collapsed like a pricked bladder it was Frazer who, perhaps more than any other Australian Parliamentarian of his time, found himself most in the public eye.

Naturally when the Labor Government was formed Frazer got his reward. He was made an Honorary Minister, and on the death of Mr. Batchelor was promoted to the high office of Postmaster-General at the age of 30 years!

By the death of Charlie Frazer the Australian Labor movement loses one of its most valuable human assets. All things considered — his unreliable health, his early struggles, his lack of opportunities that came to other men by the grace of the gods, but which he had to hack and hammer out of circumstance, Frazer went far indeed. But by what he had done in his short 33 years of life Charlie Frazer was entitled to all the gratitude that the Labor movement could and did bestow, and his memory will merit all the respect that is vouchsafed to those who die fighting in the forefront of the fray.

Members of the A.W.U. had special reason to feel grateful to the sturdy Laborite whose life closed so suddenly on Tuesday. During the long illness of the late Donald Macdonell, Charles Frazer attended his bedside with all the love and devotion of a cherished brother. During all that trying time, when the cares of a heavy department pressed heavily upon him, he rarely let a day pass without seeing and cheering our late comrade. When Charlie Frazer died, a Big Australian and a white man went to his rest.