Octavius Charles Beale (1850 - 1930)

Born 23 Feb 1850 in Mountmellick, Laois, Ireland

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Baily) Beale — married 1875 (to 1901) in Congregational Church, Woollahra, New South Wales

Descendants

Died 16 Dec 1930 at age 80 in Stroud, New South Wales, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Alison Mann [send private message]

Biography

For children see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavius_Beale

• Entry in Australian Dictionary of Biography

• Wikipedia entry

Born on 23 Feb 1850 in Mountmelick, Queens County, Ireland

Married Elizabeth Lilly Baily at the Congregational Church, Woollahra, New South Wales on November 8th, 1875^[1] They had 13 children: Margaret Elizabeth, Lionel Charles, Ruth, Reginald Hugo, Ronald Matheson, Francis Edgar, Rupert Octavius, Harold Strangman, Octavius Cyril, Hilda Dorothea, Mary P, Hector* and Florence*.^[2]

• He formed a company to import sewing machines and pianos in 1879, after which he established Australia's first piano factory in Annandale, 1893.^[3] The factory ceased production in 1975.^[4]

• Served as president of the New South Wales Chamber of Commerce and a trustee of the Australian Museum, and the Bank of New South Wales (Westpac).^[5]

• In 1903, Beale was appointed one of twelve members of a Royal Commission into the decline of the birth rate in New South Wales. He later conducted, at his own expense, a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Secret Drugs, 1905-1910. The two-volume report records the criminal unscrupulousness of manufacturers and advertisers.

• Contributed to the early formation of labelling laws in Australia after being appointed by the Federal Government in December 1906 to inquired and report regarding the manufacture, importation, sale and use of patent or proprietary medicines, secret drugs, cures, and foods in countries outside the Commonwealth. Progress report presented to Acting Prime Minister on Thursday 8th August, 1907. An exhaustive report was laid before the House of Representitives by Sir William Lyne on Friday 9th August, 1907. It included, amongst other things, the recommendation that every preparation should be accompanied by a formula plainly expressed on the bottle.

• Translated overseas newpaper articles to English for Australian newspapers from 1903 to the late 1920s, helping Australians keep up to date with overseas goings-on.

• Contributed to the early formation of labelling laws in Australia after being appointed by the Federal Government in December 1906 to inquired and report regarding the manufacture, importation, sale and use of patent or proprietary medicines, secret drugs, cures, and foods in countries outside the Commonwealth. Progress report presented to Acting Prime Minister on Thursday 8th August, 1907. An exhaustive report was laid before the House of Representitives by Sir William Lyne on Friday 9th August, 1907. It included, amongst other things, the recommendation that every preparation should be accompanied by a formula plainly expressed on the bottle.

• As Royal Commissioner, Octavius Beale penned a volume titled "Racial Decay" (published by A.C. Fifield, London). An article [3] about the volume is attached in the images file.

• Assisted in the reformation of the Sydney Orchestra in 1920. [4]

• Octavius Beale died in a car accident at Stroud, New South Wales, on 16 December 1930 ^[6]

Research Notes

• Octavious was nominated by a SAG member to be part of the Wikitree and SAG '7 in 7' Challenge in January 2023.

Sources

1. ↑ Ancestry.com. Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Registration Place: Paddington, New South Wales, Year: 1875, Number: 1489
2. ↑ Wikipedia: Octavius Beale, ref #5
3. ↑ Irish in Australia [ [1] ]
4. ↑ Robert Palmieri; Margaret W. Palmieri (2003). The Piano: An Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-415-93796-2
5. ↑ Michael Atherton (December 1990). Australian made, Australian played: handcrafted musical instruments from didjeridu to synthesiser. New South Wales University Press. p. 42.
6. ↑ Wikipedia: Octavius Beale [ [2] ]

• Research done by Philip Mann in the 1990s

• Birthday Article published on page 4 of the Sydney Sunday Times on Sunday 21 Feb 1926. [5]

• Article published on page 15 of the Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative on Thu 20 March 1919; link: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-title648

• Obit by Sir Kelso King published on page 8 of The Sydney Morning Herald on Wednesday 31 December 1930. Link: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-title35

• Location and date of death found in article published on page 7 of the Townsville Daily Bulletin (Qld, Australia) on Wednesday 17 December 1930. [6] and page 2 of the The Canberra Times (ACT, Australia) on Wednesday 17 December 1930. [7]

"The Kaiser in the Pulpit" published on page 3 of the Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld, Australia) on Wednesday 26 September 1900. [8]

• Translated Article: "Kruger's Gold" from the "Vossichue Zei-Tung", published in the Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald, and General Advertiser (Qld, Australia) on Thursday 21 May 1903. [9]

• Translated Article: "Anglo-German Translations by Dr. Carl Peters" on page 8 of The Mercury (Hobart, Tas, Australia) on Monday 20 February 1905. [10]

• Translated Article: "The Baltic Squadron by Captain van Pustau" on page 7 of the The Mercury (Hobart, Tas, Australia) on Saturday 19 November 1904. [11]

• Translated Article: "The Czar's Murdered Family" on page 1 of the Dubbo Dispatch and Wellington Independent (NSW, Australia) on Friday 21 November 1924. [12]

• Sydney Orchestra Assistance: published on page 7 of The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW, Australia) on Monday 30 May 1921. [13]

• Labelling laws contribution: Article published on page 2 of The Bendigo Independent (Vic, Australia) on Friay 9 August 1907. [14]

• Wikipedia: Octavius Beale [15]

• Australian Dictionary of Biography – Octavius Beale [ [16] ]

• Irish in Australia [ [17] ]

• Robert Palmieri; Margaret W. Palmieri (2003). The Piano: An Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-415-93796-2. Retrieved 2 January 2013 [ [18] ]

• Michael Atherton (December 1990). Australian made, Australian played: handcrafted musical instruments from didjeridu to synthesiser. New South Wales University Press. p. 42. Retrieved 2 January 2013. [ [19] ]

• Ancestry.com. Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Registration Place: Paddington, New South Wales, Year: 1875, Number: 1489 (marriage)