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Titus Lander (5 April 1861 – 8 January 1948) was an Australian politician and
animal welfare Animal welfare is the quality of life and overall well-being of animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures ...
advocate. He was the first salaried
RSPCA The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity operating in England and Wales which promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA is funded primarily by voluntary donations. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and largest a ...
inspector in
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 ...
, and later served a single term in the state's Legislative Assembly (from 1911 to 1914), where he secured the passage of an animal welfare bill.


Early life

Lander was born in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, England, to Margaret (née Moran) and James Brooke Lander. He trained as a
stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping and arranging stones, often together with mortar and even the ancient lime mortar ...
, which had been his father's profession, and emigrated to
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
in 1883. He later lived for periods in
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
and
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, working as a monumental mason. Lander arrived in Western Australia in October 1892.Titus (Peter) Lander
Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
He initially continued in the masonry trade, but soon began volunteering as an inspector for the local branch of the
SPCA A Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is a common name for non-profit animal welfare organizations around the world. The oldest SPCA organization is the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which was founded ...
. Lander began working full-time for the SPCA in 1894, and until 1906 was the organisation's only salaried inspector in Western Australia. In 1907, he had a
gas chamber A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. Poisonous agents used include hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide. History Donatie ...
built at his home in
Highgate Highgate is a suburban area of N postcode area, north London in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden, London Borough of Islington, Islington and London Borough of Haringey, Haringey. The area is at the north-eastern corner ...
, allowing stray cats and dogs to be euthanised humanely.HISTORY OF THE RSPCA IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA
RSPCA Western Australia. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
Outside of his animal welfare work, Lander also sat the Sanitary Institute exams, allowing him to work as a food inspector for the Perth board of health.


Politics and later life

Lander was elected to the Perth City Council in 1909, and to parliament at the 1911 state election, standing for the Labor Party in the seat of East Perth. His candidacy was helped by the fact that the sitting member, John Hardwick, made a mistake in submitting his nomination and was thus unable to be listed on the ballot."THE EAST PERTH NOMINATIONS"
''
The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...
'', 25 September 1911.
In parliament, Lander introduced a bill which was eventually passed into law as the ''Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1912'', the first of its kind in Western Australia. His time as an MP was short, however, as Hardwick reclaimed the seat at the 1914 election. After leaving politics, Lander bought a farm in Bruce Rock, also providing veterinary services for the surrounding area. He retired to Merredin in 1936, and died in Perth in 1948, aged 86. He had married Lucinda Jane Beattie in 1887, with whom he had four children.


Further reading

*


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lander, Titus 1861 births 1948 deaths 20th-century Australian politicians Animal welfare and rights in Australia Australian animal welfare workers Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia British emigrants to colonial Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly People from Harrow on the Hill Perth City Councillors