Obituaries Australia

Sir Arthur Hunter Palmer, 1883

State Library of Queensland

Sir Arthur Palmer, who died last month at Brisbane, was so well known as a leading figure in political life that people had almost forgotten that in his earlier days he was actively engaged as a pastoralist. Coming to New South Wales in 1838, he was connected with the late Mr. H. Dangar's stations for a period of no less than twenty-three years, becoming general manager of these properties during the latter part of his connection with them. In 1866 he was returned for the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, and the following year became a Minister of the Crown. Since then the story of his life is part of the history of Queensland and has been so fully told in the general press as to need no description here. Our Queensland, correspondent, in recording his death, writes :— "Queensland mourns the loss of one of the ablest administrators she ever possessed. There may be widely differing opinions of the late Sir Arthur Hunter Palmer as a politician, but all are agreed that as an administrator he had no equal here. Although his manner was brusque—often to extremes—his somewhat austere exterior concealed one of the warmest and most honest hearts that ever beat. He was ever as ready to do a good turn to his strongest political opponent as to his warmest supporter. While as a Minister of the Crown he never failed to reprove a mistake on the part of a subordinate officer, he was ever to be depended on to defend him behind his back, and his memory will be most warmly cherished by those who most frequently came in contact with him, whether in public or private life.