Peter Airey (9 January 1865 – 10 August 1950) was a

Treasurer of Queensland Treasurer of Queensland is the title held by the Cabinet (government), Cabinet Minister (government), minister who is responsible for the Queensland Treasury, and by extension, all financial matters of the Government of Queensland, Queensland Go ...

, a member of the

Queensland Legislative Council Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, ...

, and 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 ...

. Airey was also known as a poet and as a short story writer, publishing a number of pieces in various periodicals from 1888.

Early life

Airey was born at Barrow-in Furness, Lancashire, in 1865 to Peter Airey and his wife Mary (née Akrigg). After his mother died, he travelled to Maryborough, Queensland with his father and brother in 1875. Three years later he was a

pupil-teacher Pupil teacher was a training program in wide use before the twentieth century, as an apprentice system for teachers. With the emergence in the beginning of the nineteenth century of education for the masses, demand for teachers increased. By 1840, ...

at Bundaberg North before being appointed an assistant teacher at Maryborough in 1883.Airey, Peter (1865–1950)
–

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

. Retrieved 15 March 2015. Airey then taught at several schools across southern and central Queensland including

Bundamba Bundamba is a Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb of Ipswich, Queensland, Ipswich in the City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. In the , Bundamba had a population of 6,542 people. Geography The Bremer River (Queensland), Bremer Rive ...

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. In the , the population of Rockhampton was 79,293. A common nickname for Rockhampton is "Rocky", and the demonym of Rockhampton is Rockhamptonite. The Scottish- ...

, Mount Morgan,

Charters Towers Charters Towers is a rural town in the Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. It is by road south-west from Townsville on the Flinders Highway. During the last quarter of the 19th century, the town boomed as the rich gold deposits und ...

, and

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

. He became president of the East Moreton Teachers' Association and led his colleagues in publicly demanding substantial salary increases. In February 1901, Airey was sent to

Hughenden Hughenden may refer to: *Hughenden, Queensland, a town in Australia * Hughenden, Alberta, a village in central Alberta, Canada *Hughenden Valley, a village in Buckinghamshire, England *Hughenden Manor, a mansion in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, Eng ...

as head-teacher, allegedly as punishment for his demands.

Political career

Representing the Labour Party, Airey was elected unopposed for the seat of

Flinders Flinders may refer to: Places Antarctica * Flinders Peak, near the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula Australia New South Wales * Flinders County, New South Wales * Shellharbour Junction railway station, Shellharbour * Flinders, New South Wa ...

. He was soon

Whip A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...

and secretary of the parliamentary Labour Party and in 1903 he was elected the party leader and president of the central political executive. Appointed Secretary for Mines & Public Works for nine days in 1904, Airey was then made Home Secretary, and remained in this role till July 1907. Having left the Labour party for the "

Kidstonites The Kidstonites, also known as the Kidston Party, was a political party in the Australian state of Queensland in 1907 to 1908, formed by William Kidston. The party resulted from a split in the Queensland Labor Party and spent most of its existenc ...

", he was defeated at the

1907 Queensland state election Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' Dici ...

by John May but was almost immediately appointed to the Queensland Legislative Council, remaining there for six months until he resigned to successfully contest the seat of Brisbane South at the extraordinary

1908 Queensland state election Elections were held in the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland on 5 February 1908 to elect the 72 members of the state's Legislative Assembly of Queensland, Legislative Assembly. The election, held less than 9 mon ...

. Airey was made Treasurer in February 1908 but was dropped from cabinet in October 1908 and, losing his seat in 1909, he retired from state politics. He was a member of the Cleveland Shire Council in 1924–27 and then quit politics altogether.

Writing career

Airey was a very prolific poet writing under the pen-names "P. Luftig", "Philander Flam" and "Furness Born" as well as his own, although no collection of his works has been published to date. '' The Bulletin'' described his verse in 1904 as "a task entered upon as doggedly and conscientiously as the correction of school exercises and with as little poetic inspiration", but admitted occasional flights of something better.

Personal life

Airey married Martha Watts Lintern in 1897 and together had 9 children. He retired to Birkdale and died there in 1950.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Airey, Peter Treasurers of Queensland Members of the Queensland Legislative Council Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Australian poets 1865 births 1950 deaths People from Redland City British emigrants to Australia