William Bede Dalley

William Bede Dalley (5 July 1831 – 28 October 1888) was an Australian politician and barrister and the first Australian appointed to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. He was a leading lay representative and champion of the Catholic community and was known for his parliamentary and legal eloquence.

Early life Dalley was born at Sydney in 1831. His father John Dalley was from Broadwindsor, Dorset, his mother Catherine Spillane was from Kinsale, County Cork. They were both convicts. He was educated at the Sydney College and St Mary's College. He was called to the bar in 1856.

Political career

In 1857 Dalley was elected to the Legislative Assembly as a representative of Sydney (City). In 1858 he successfully contested Cumberland Boroughs to help Charles Cowper's re-election in Sydney. He pressed for several reforms including an unsuccessful attempt to abolish the death penalty for rape. towards the end of his first term as Attorney General.

Dalley's Castle

The homes he owned on the northern beaches were Marinella, commonly called Dalley's Castle, at Manly and a house called variously Yellamb i, Tallamalla, Bilgola House and Bilgola Cottage, immediately behind Bilgola Beach. While the house at Bilgola was built as a weekender, Marinella was built as a home, although Dalley's use of both was brief. Dalley bought 0.4ha on a knoll overlooking Manly in late 1882 and had a large home, called Marinella, erected upon it, although it was invariably known as Dalley's Castle because of its size and dominant position overlooking the village. The property Dalley bought also included an existing cottage and a stone tower that had previously housed a camera obscura. The Gothic Roman castle was built in 1882–1883 and by 1884 Dalley is listed as living there, although the following years were among his busiest and he had other properties closer to the city, so the amount of time he spent at Marinella is uncertain. Dalley's Castle was demolished in 1939, despite strong local opposition, and Housing Commission flats, ironically called Marinella, were built on the site.

Honours In 1886, after refusing a knighthood, he was appointed to the privy council.

Memorials and legacy Following Dalley's death in 1888, a public committee raised funds through public subscription to commission a permanent monument. A large bronze statue of Dalley, crafted by renowned sculptor James White, was placed at the northern end of Hyde Park, Sydney. Natural weathering of the bronze monument has seen it become colloquially known to Sydneysiders as "the green man of Hyde Park."

The National Rugby League (NRL) 'Player of the Year' award, is called the Dally M Medal in honour of rugby league player Herbert 'Dally' Messenger. The 'Dally' part was a misspelling of 'Dalley', a nickname given to him as a boy in the mid-1880s by his father Charles A. Messenger, a boating and sailing confrère of William Bede Dalley.