Cyril Richard Cornish, DSO (30 June 1891 – 10 October 1961) was an Australian businessman and politician who was an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

member of the

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

from 1942 to 1946, representing North Province. Cornish was born in

Arakoon, New South Wales Arakoon is an eastern suburb of the town of South West Rocks in Kempsey Shire, New South Wales, Australia. At the , Arakoon had a population of 420 people. Arakoon was the original settlement of the town of South West Rocks. The settlement was ...

, but moved to Western Australia as a child. After leaving school, he worked for periods with a merchant firm in Katanning, as a miner on the

Eastern Goldfields The Eastern Goldfields is part of the Western Australian Goldfields in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, covering the present and former gold-mining area east of Perth. Extent and name origin The region encompasses the to ...

, and as an engine driver for

Western Australian Government Railways Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the state owned operator of railways in the state of Western Australia between October 1890 and June 2003. Owned by the state government, it was renamed a number of times to reflect extra respon ...

. Cornish enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in December 1915, and during the war served in France with the 44th Battalion. He was wounded in action twice in 1918,Cyril Richard Cornish
Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 12 January 2017. for which he was made a

Companion of the Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful command and leadership during active operations, typicall ...

.Honours and Awards: Cyril Richard Cornish
Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 12 January 2017. After leaving the military, Cornish moved to Onslow, where he was a

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

lican and was also elected to the Ashburton Road Board. In 1925, Cornish moved to Carnarvon to become the licensee of the Gascoyne Hotel. He was elected to the Carnarvon Municipal Council the same year, and served as a councillor until 1935 (including as mayor from 1929 to 1932). Cornish entered parliament in June 1942, winning a Legislative Council by-election caused by the death of

Joseph Holmes Joseph or Joe Holmes may refer to: * Joseph Holmes (New Jersey politician) (1736–1809), American politician * Joseph Erskine Holmes (born 1940), Northern Irish politician * Joseph John Holmes (1866–1942), Australian politician * Joseph Warren ...

. He stood for re-election in 1946, but was defeated by

Mervyn Forrest Robert Mervyn Forrest (28 April 1891 – 22 August 1975) was an Australian pastoralist and politician who served as a Liberal Party member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia from 1946 to 1952, representing North Province. Early li ...

of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

. Cornish lived in Perth after leaving parliament, where he was the licensee of two hotels. He died in October 1961, aged 70, while visiting England. Cornish had married Marjorie Richardson in 1927, with whom he had five children. A nephew, Dick Old, was also a member of parliament.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornish, Cyril 1891 births 1961 deaths Australian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Australian hoteliers Mayors of places in Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council Independent members of the Parliament of Western Australia People from the Mid North Coast Western Australian local councillors