Obituaries Australia

Graham Hart, n.d.

State Library of Queensland, 57434

The death of Mr. Graham Lloyd Hart, which has come so suddenly, will leave a void in the legal profession which will not easily be filled. Mr. Hart was looked up to by all his brethren in the law, and he was universally respected. As a lawyer his knowledge was comprehensive and sound, and his opinions were highly valued. His inclinations never tended in the direction of public life, though years ago he was offered a seat in the Legislative Council. The only work of a public character which he undertook was that of chancellor to the diocese of Brisbane, and he has been identified with that office for many years. His intimate knowledge of canon law and the deep interest he took in church matters have been of incalculable service to the diocese. He was also a director of the A.M.P. Society. Though for so many years a figure in the social and professional life of the colony Mr. Hart was not a native. His father was the late Mr. Hamilton Hart, originally a member of the firm of Bright Bros, and Co., and afterwards for many years superintendent of the Bank of Australasia in Melbourne. Mr. Graham Hart served his articles with Mr. Edward Klingender, the well-known Melbourne solicitor. In 1863, when quite a young man, he came to Queensland, where his brother—Hon. F. H. Hart—was already well established in the firm of Gibbs, Bright, and Co., and entered into partnership with the late Hon. D. F. Roberts. About 1865 he married Mr. Roberts's daughter. In 1872 the firm of Roberts and Hart was dissolved, and for some years Mr. Hart carried on business on his own account. In 1876 he was joined by Mr. Flower, and the firm was then known for some years as Hart and Flower. In 1884 Mr. Chas. Stuart Mein, afterwards Mr. Justice Mein, became a partner in the firm, and on his elevation to the Bench the firm again became known as Hart and Flower. This style was retained until 1892, when Mr. Victor Drury became a partner. In his professional capacity Mr. Hart trained many of the solicitors now in practice in the colony. One of his articled clerks was the present Hon. A. J. Thynne, Minister for Agriculture. Mr. Hart had three sons and six daughters. One of the latter is the wife of Mr. Arthur Feez, barrister-at-law, and the other was recently married to Mr. S. B. Cameron, resident secretary of the Victoria Insurance Company. One of his sons is a solicitor, and another is studying at the Sydney University. Mr. Hart had for many years suffered from spasmodic asthma, but until a few days before his death it was not thought he was seriously unwell. He attended at his office on Wednesday, and seemed then to be in rather better health than usual, and was also very bright in spirits. On Wednesday evening he had a bad attack, and Dr. Wilton Love, his regular medical attendant, was called in. On Friday afternoon he fell into a state of coma, and remained unconscious right up to his death. Dr. Hardie was called in, in consultation with Dr. Love, and all possible restoratives were administered to their patient. Mr. Hart, however, never rallied. The final symptoms indicated congestion of the brain, caused by an effusion of serum. With the exception of the youngest son, Mr. B. L. Hart, who is in residence as an undergraduate at the Sydney University, all the members of Mr. Hart's family were present when he breathed his last.

The funeral took place yesterday afternoon at Toowong Cemetery, and between eighty and ninety carriages were in the procession which left Mr. Hart's late residence, Greylands, Indooroopilly, at a little after 3 o'clock. Though in no respect a public funeral, the procession was a thoroughly representative one, including Ministers of the Crown, Judges of the Supreme Court, lawyers, commercial men, bank managers, civil servants, and not a few of the labouring class from Indooroopilly. The burial service of the Church of England was read by the Rev. Canon Matthews, of Sandgate, one of the oldest of Mr. Hart's friends in Queensland; other Church of England representatives were the Revs. T. Jones, of Indooroopilly, and Frodsham, of Toowong. At the graveside there also were-the Hon. J. R. Dickson, the Hon. W. H. Wilson, the Hon. A. J. Thynne, and the Hon. J. F. G. Foxton, members of the Ministry ; the Hons. B. D. Morehead, William Forrest, A. Norton, P. Perkins, P. Macpherson, E. B. Forest, and G. W. Gray, M.L.C; Sir S. W. Griffith, Chief Justice; Mr. Justice Cooper, and Mr. Justice Real, Hon. A. Rutledge, Rev. W. Moore, Drs. Wilton Love, L. Gibson, and Hardie ; Messrs. D. T. Seymour, De Burgh Persse, H. P. Abbott, John Stevenson, W. T. Blakeney, Robert Gray, A. V. Drury, A. M'Dowall, T. Bunton, A. W. Chambers, Edwyn Lilley, W. F. Wilson, Alexander Stewart, John Stewart, T. Neilson, G. Eddington, H. J. Oxley, R. Mills, F. Stewart Brown, W. H. Radford, D. G. Stuart, E. Mansfield, R. V. Little, R. S. Hurd, T. A. Ryan, J. Forsyth, G. H. Newman, H. W. Apperly, R. H. Roe, J. Munro, G. F. Scott, W. H. Day, M. Ward, J. J. Kingsbury, George Down, A. Down, T. O'sullivan, E. Schacht, E. H. Macartney, J. Gair, George Scott, R. D. Neilson, J. Hunter Brown, A. Hyde, R. J. Leeper, Ti Mooney, A. Palmer (representing Sir Arthur Palmer), T. Morrow, J. Chapman, J. Fitzgerald, E. Goertz, A. Goertz, Mant, J. W. Stack, E. Griffith, Claude Musson, P. C. Hal ley, J. Hinton, V. Bogle, John Little, A. Orme (secretary, to the Diocesan Council), Captain R. S. Taylor, and many others. The wreaths sent to Greylands completely covered the coffin, while a carriage was filled with those which could not be placed in the hearse, and at the close of the ceremony the grave mound was completely covered with beautiful garlands of white flowers. Amongst those who sent wreaths were the Minister for Agriculture, the Diocese of Brisbane, the Judges of the Supreme Court, the staff of the A.M.P. Society, the office staff of Hart, Flower, and Drury, Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Flower, Mr. and Mrs. Victor Drury, while others were from business firms and private friends. The immediate relatives of the deceased in attendance were his two sons, Messrs. W. H. and P. L. Hart, his brother, the Hon. F. Hart, and Mr. Hart, jun.; Mr. Pring Roberts, brother-in law; and Messrs. Arthur Feez and S. B. Cameron, sons-in-law. Mr. J. H. Flower and E. A. Flower were also present. The coffin was of solid oak, bearing the name and age of Mr. Hart, and the only decoration it bore was an anchor-symbolic of Hope.