Hal Colebatch
A self-made newspaperman who rose from an 11-year-old school leaver to become a Premier and a fierce advocate for Western Australia's interests on the national stage.
1872–1953 (age 81)·Australian politician·Birthday: March 29·The Gilded Age
Biography
Hal Colebatch’s life was a testament to colonial ambition and political grit. Born in England, his family’s move to South Australia when he was a child set the stage for a hardscrabble youth; he left formal education behind at eleven and cut his teeth in the rough world of newspaper printing. This early immersion in media and debate forged a sharp, principled mind. He eventually settled in Western Australia, where his political career took root. Colebatch was not a flashy figure, but a persistent one, serving nearly two decades in the state’s Legislative Council. His tenure as Premier in 1919 was famously brief—a mere month—but his later roles as Agent-General in London and a federal senator were where he left a deeper mark. He championed free trade and a particularly muscular form of state’s rights, even flirting with secessionist sentiment, while maintaining a staunch, lifelong opposition to the totalitarian ideologies of his era, from communism to fascism.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Hal was born in 1872, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Hal Was Born
The biggest hits of 1872
Hal's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1872Born
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1877Started school
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1885Became a teenager
Karl Benz builds the first gasoline-powered automobile
President: Grover Cleveland
1888Could drive
President: Grover Cleveland
1890Could vote
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1893Turned 21
World's Columbian Exposition dazzles Chicago
President: Grover Cleveland
1902Turned 30
The eruption of Mount Pelee kills 30,000 in Martinique
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1912Turned 40
Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage
President: William Howard Taft
1922Turned 50
King Tut's tomb discovered in Egypt
President: Warren G. Harding"April Showers" — Al Jolson
1932Turned 60
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1942Turned 70
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1952Turned 80
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1953Died at 81
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
Key Achievements
- Served as the twelfth Premier of Western Australia, albeit for a single month in 1919.
- Represented Western Australia as a Senator in the federal parliament for a four-year term.
- Acted as Western Australia's Agent-General in London for five years, promoting the state's interests.
- Was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for nearly twenty years.
Did You Know?
He left school at the age of 11 to begin working.
His early career involved working for several newspapers in South Australia.
He was a vocal supporter of Western Australian secession from the Commonwealth.
He was knighted in 1929, becoming Sir Harry Pateshall Colebatch.
“A man's word and his work are the only capital he needs.”
