Ernest "Ernie" Evans (6 March 1892 – 28 February 1965) was a member of the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

Biography

Evans was born in

Killarney Killarney ( ; , meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Killar ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, the son of Joseph Evans and his wife Harriet (née Murphy). He was educated at Spring Creek Killarney State Schools and after finishing his education worked as a shearer and timber cutter. In 1920 he went partners in a sugar cane farm at Little Mulgrave. Having trouble transporting the cane, he organised the local farmers into forming a company to build a train line to the Mulgrave sugar mill. In 1929 he moved to the Mackay district and bought another cane farm and became heavily associated with the Australian Sugar Producers Association. From 1935 to 1957 he was a director of the Farleigh Cooperative Sugar Association. On 31 October 1914 he married Winifred Ellen Cronin (died 1974)Family history research
— Queensland Government births, deaths, marriages, and divorces. Retrieved 29 May 2016. at Christ Church in Bundaberg and together had three sons and a daughter. Evans died after complications with what was thought to be a minor operation in BrisbaneMotion of Condolence
—

Hansard ''Hansard'' is the transcripts of parliamentary debates in Britain and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries. It is named after Thomas Curson Hansard (1776–1833), a London printer and publisher, who was the first official printe ...

. Retrieved 29 May 2016. in February 1965. He was accorded a state funeral in

Mackay Mackay may refer to: *Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives Mackay may also refer to: Places Australia * Mackay Region, a local government area ** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region *** Mackay Airport ...

and buried in the Mount Bassett Cemetery.

Public career

During his days working in the bush, he was a member of the Australian Workers' Union with whom he earned the nickname ''Firestrick Ernie'' and went on to be an organiser for the union. Evans was a councilor in the

Pioneer Shire The Shire of Pioneer was a Local government in Australia, local government area surrounding the city of Mackay, Queensland, Mackay and including all but its innermost suburbs. The shire, administered from Mackay, Queensland, Mackay itself, cover ...

from 1929 to 1934 and was the shire's chairman on two separate occasions, from 1934 to 1947 and 1955 to 1957. He decided to enter state politics as a candidate for the Country Party at the

1947 Queensland state election Elections were held in the Australian state of Queensland on 3 May 1947 to elect the 62 members of the state's Legislative Assembly. The election was the first that the Labor government had contested under Premier Ned Hanlon, who had been in ...

in the seat of Mirani. His opponent for the Labor Party was the

Deputy Premier A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...

and Minister for Transport,

Ted Walsh Ted Walsh (born 14 April 1950) is an Irish amateur jockey turned racehorse trainer who was born and raised in County Cork but based in Kill, County Kildare, Ireland. Ted is also father to amateur Irish National Hunt jockey, Katie Walsh and pro ...

. In what proved to be a bitterly contested election, Evans defeated Walsh convincingly. Evans went on to represent the electorate until his death eighteen years later, turning it into a safe Country Party seat. When the Country Party came to power in

1957 Events January * January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany. * January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. * January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...

, Evans was immediately elevated to the Ministry, first as Minister for Development, Mines and Main Roads from 1957 until 1960 and then Minister for Development, Mines, Main Roads and Electricity from 1960 until his death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Erine Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly 1892 births 1965 deaths National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Queensland 20th-century Australian politicians