Ellison Quirk

Ellison Wentworth Quirk, JP (8 July 1866 – 16 November 1938) was a New South Wales politician, Alderman and member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing the electorate of Warringah from 1901 to 1904.^[1]

Quirk was born in 1866 in the town of Lucknow, near Orange, New South Wales on the Wentworth goldfields. Quirk grew up in the nearby town of Forbes until the age of 15, when his family settled in Manly in 1881.^[1] He eventually established himself within the Manly community as a Storekeeper and Land Agent.^[2] He married Margaret Ann Mills on 19 November 1896 and they had two daughters and two sons. Quirk involved himself in local politcs at the time and identified himself with the Free Trade Party, not uncommon for members of the Sydney business community at the time. When Henry Parkes won the NSW Legislative Assembly seat of St Leonards in 1885, Quirk worked in his office.^[3] Holding prominent positions as secretary of the Manly Fire Brigade and president of Manly District Ambulance Brigade, Quirk eventually stood for office as became an Alderman on Manly Municipal Council in 1896 and rose to become Mayor from 1901 to 1906. He would remain a Manly Alderman until his retirement in 1928. Quirk then stood for state office in 1901 when the local member for Warringah, Dugald Thomson, resigned so that he could stand for the seat of North Sydney in the new Federal Parliament. Elected as an Independent, he held the seat until it was abolished before the 1904 election.^[1]

Quirk then stood for election to the first council of the newly proclaimed Warringah Shire Council on 3 December 1906. Subsequently elected as an Alderman, he rose to be Shire President on three consecutive occasions in 1910, 1913–1914 and 1918–1919. He served on the Council until 1922.^[2] Joining the Australian Labor Party, Quirk attempted to re-enter state politics as the ALP candidate for local seat of Middle Harbour in the 1913 state election, but was unsuccessful. Eventually retiring from public life in 1928, Quirk died in November 1938 and was buried in Manly cemetery.^[1]

Notes