Walter Augustus Gale

Walter Augustus Gale (22 December 1864 – 27 July 1927) was an Australian public servant. He served as clerk of the Australian House of Representatives from 1917 until his death in 1927. He was the first clerk to serve at the new Parliament House after the parliament moved to Canberra. He had earlier served as the inaugural clerk of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1890 to 1901.

Early life Gale was born on 22 December 1864 in Geraldton, Western Australia. He was the son of Mary Ann (née Scott) and William Gale. His father was a merchant and collector of customs, while his brother Charles Gale also became a senior public servant.

Gale attended The High School, Perth, and St Peter's College, Adelaide. He moved to England in 1884 to attend Exeter College, Oxford, on a scholarship, but returned to Australia for financial reasons before he could graduate. He briefly taught at the High School and then joined the office of the Colonial Secretary of Western Australia as an assistant registrar. In 1888 he was appointed secretary to the Central Board of Education. He succeeded Duffy in the role upon his appointment as clerk of the Senate.

Gale was diagnosed with heart disease in the 1920s and suffered a fatal heart attack at his office at Parliament House on 27 July 1927. A memorial tablet commemorating their service was unveiled in 1928 by Speaker of the House Littleton Groom.

Personal life

In 1896, Gale married Georgiana Richardson-Bunbury, with whom he had four children. His wife was the granddaughter of early colonists John and Georgiana Molloy, and their wedding at St George's Cathedral, Perth, was attended by Perth's social elite.

Gale was known as an amateur poet and songwriter. He wrote the words to the "Proclamation Hymn" which was performed at the Proclamation Day celebrations when Western Australia was granted responsible government in 1890. During World War I he published a collection of patriotic verse titled Are We Downhearted? No, No and his 1915 poem "Play the Game!" calling for Australian men to enlist in the military was widely republished including as a postcard.