Sarah

A moment in political history

On 22 May 1906, my great-great grandfather George Steed attended the celebrations of the fiftieth anniversary of ‘responsible government’ in New South Wales.

In his capacity as a journalist, George was at the reunion of past and present members and officials of the New South Wales Parliament. He likely wrote about the event, which was described as a unique spectacle, and included formal addresses from 11 am, followed by luncheon at 1 pm, and afterwards the opening of the new parliamentary library, called the Jubilee Library. George may have been seated in the press gallery in the official photo of those present.

Photograph of an invitation to the Jubilee of Responsible Government, 22 May 1906
Photograph of an invitation to the Jubilee of Responsible Government, 22 May 1906, New South Wales, original held in private collection.

Responsible government was the term given to local decision making, which took over from the so-called colonial representatives and imperial parliament. It meant the Colony of New South Wales “was given responsibility for managing all of the expenditure and income of the Colony, enacting all legislation (with certain conditions), and generally managing the Colony’s own affairs.”

Proceedings of the 1906 Jubilee celebrations can be read online in detail in A Souvenir of the Celebration of the Jubilee of Responsible Government in New South Wales.

Selected references

‘Political Jubilee in N.S.W.⁠—Celebration in the Legislative Assembly Chamber, Sydney’, Australian Town and Country Journal, 30 May 1906, p.19, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page5710701, accessed 5 April 2025.

‘Responsible Government. Celebrating the Jubilee, Australian Town and Country Journal, 30 May 1906, p.6, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71530725, accessed 5 April 2025.

‘Jubilee of Responsible Government. Celebrations in Sydney. Message from the King.’, The Advertiser, 23 May 1906, pp. 7-8, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5077402, accessed 5 April 2025.

Government of New South Wales, Guide 3 to NSW State Archives relating to Responsible Government, The State Records Authority of New South Wales, 2005, Kingswood, NSW, https://mhnsw.au/guides/responsible-government-guide/, accessed 5 April 2025.

A Souvenir of the celebration of the jubilee of responsible government in New South Wales, May 22, 1906. Government Printer, Sydney, 1906, http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/82109, accessed 6 April 2025.

3 comments

  1. So you have had relatives at some important places: at the opening of the Harbour Bridge, in Darwin when Cyclone Tracy hit, at the GPO in Sydney and in Antarctica, and now at the 50th birthday of the NSW Parliament.

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    Reply

      • Yes it is interesting, and sometimes we can find out more about relationships. Through that book you mentioned, I have found out other relationships that covered nearly a hundred years!

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