H. W. Harrison

Horace Washington "Horrie" Harrison (1878 – 13 August 1952) was an Australian motorists' advocate in the early years of the 20th century.

History

He was reckoned to be the first owner in Victorian of a "self-propelled vehicle": a three-wheeled "Aerial" [sic].[1] Other reports have his first car a De Dion in 1898, and have him working for the Tarrant automobile company before joining the Vacuum Oil company[2] in 1905. Two years later he was appointed manager of the company's Victoria division. He was motoring editor for The Age and The Leader.[3]

He was an early advocate of the motor omnibus in Melbourne as a competitor to railways,[4] and was on the board of directors of the Melbourne Motor Omnibus Company.[5]

Harrison was well-known as a motoring enthusiast in 1912, when he resigned his position as an executive with the Australian subsidiary of the Standard Oil Company to become editor of The Australian Motorist. He was also editor of The Motor World, which went through a number of issues.[6]

At the 1912 Melbourne Motor Show, in a demonstration of advances in automotive technology, Harrison raced a 1½-h.p. 1899 De Dion-Bouton tricycle against H. Lamande on a 2-h.p. F.N. motorcycle.[7]

He was the organiser of Melbourne's first International Motor Show, opening 30 April 1925, and running for 10 days.[8] The Show was highly successful, with total attendance over 80,000, and a boost for the coffers of the Chamber of Automotive Industries and Royal Automobile Club, both of whom had invested heavily in the project.[9]

He was

  • secretary, Motor Traders' Association (later Chamber of Automotive Industries)
  • maybe associated with Australian National Roads Association
  • a founder of the National Roads and Motorists' Association (founded 1920)
  • honorary member of the Australian Institute of Automotive Engineers[3]

In 1950 he was holder of Victoria's oldest driver's licence,[10] He died in the Epworth Hospital, Richmond after three week's illness, and his remains buried following a service at St Mark's Church of England, Burke-road, Camberwell.[3]

Personal

Harrison married Viola Parker on 1 January 1902. They had a home "Bendemeer" at 265 Victoria Parade, South Yarra.[11] They had three daughters, the first born on 7 August 1903.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Motor Notes". Melbourne Punch. Vol. CXIII, no. 2869. Victoria, Australia. 21 July 1910. p. 40. Retrieved 25 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ "Who's Who". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 28, 622. Victoria, Australia. 18 May 1938. p. 18 (Motor Show Supplement). Retrieved 25 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ a b c "Obituary". The Age. No. 30356. Victoria, Australia. 14 August 1952. p. 2. Retrieved 25 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ "The Motor". The Land (Sydney). 15 December 1911. p. 15. Retrieved 25 Mar 2025.
  5. ^ "Motoring". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 20, 999. Victoria, Australia. 12 November 1913. p. 12. Retrieved 25 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "Motor Notes". The Daily Telegraph (Launceston). Vol. XXXIV, no. 158. Tasmania, Australia. 4 July 1914. p. 4. Retrieved 25 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ "Wheel Notes". The Australasian. Vol. XCIII, no. 2, 424. Victoria, Australia. 14 September 1912. p. 31. Retrieved 25 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ "Melbourne's First International Motor Show on Lavish Scale". The Sporting Globe. No. 273. Victoria, Australia. 11 March 1925. p. 11. Retrieved 25 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia. includes unflattering photographic portrait of Harrison
  9. ^ "Motor Show". The Age. No. 21, 872. Victoria, Australia. 11 May 1925. p. 11. Retrieved 25 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "Motor Pioneer Dies in Melb". Brisbane Telegraph. Queensland, Australia. 13 August 1952. p. 19. Retrieved 25 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ "Family Notices". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 17, 406. Victoria, Australia. 26 April 1902. p. 9. Retrieved 25 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ "Family Notices". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 17, 813. Victoria, Australia. 15 August 1903. p. 9. Retrieved 25 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.