Obituaries Australia

Francis de Winton (usually called Frank) Kitchingman died suddenly at Brunswick on Nov. 22, at the age of 61. A Brunswick correspondent writes truthfully of him that he was "a stalwart of the Labor Movement .... well known for his generosity and unselfishness. His was a record of sacrifice and devotion to the cause of humanity, which he loved so well." Wherever Mr. Kitchingman dwelt, people soon learned that his chief aim was the advancement of the Labor Movement. Although quiet in demeanour, he made it clear where he stood and where he wanted others to go towards improving the conditions of the working class.

It was in Gippsland, principally in the old Mornington electorate, that Frank Kitchingman directed much of his energy for Labor. In the pre-Federation days it was difficult to find an outspoken Laborite in Gippsland who was capable of expressing the tenets of Labor and defending its platform. Frank Kitchingman, the late George Abrahamson and a few others were rare exceptions. The establishment of the State Coal Mine at Wonthaggi somewhat altered matters, and a re-division of State Parliamentary seats has enabled Wonthaggi to elect a Labor representative.

Early in this century, Mr. Kitchingman worked as a coal miner at Jumbunna and Outtrim. After the disastrous coal miners' strike of 1903 in Gippsland, he returned to his trade as a painter and sign-writer at Korumburra, and remained in that town until 1914. During his residence in the coal mining district he was president of the Korumburra branch of the Political Labor Council (now A.L.P.), president of the Mornington District Council, and president of the Flinders Campaign Council. He spent his own money and gave his own services unsparingly.

In 1922 Mr. Kitchingman went to reside at Brunswick, and continued to do so until his death. In Brunswick as elsewhere, he was an ardent and useful Laborite. Mr. Kitchingman is survived by a widow and a family of three sons and four daughters. He was buried in the Fawkner semetery on Friday last. The funeral was largely attended. The pall-bearers were Cr. R. F. Tutty, ex-Crs. J. Kean and A. Raeburn. Messrs. F. J. Murphy, G. Dowsley and H. J. Thorne.