Sir John Kirwan petition

Before the first federal election in 1901, the people of the Goldfields - Esperance region petitioned Sir John Kirwan to be their nomination to the new federal seat of Kalgoorlie. When presented with this document he agreed and nominated himself as a candidate for the Federal seat of Kalgoorlie. In 1898 Sir John Kirwan had nominated but failed to get elected in Western Australia Legislative Assembly. This time, in 1901, with numerous supporters he achieved election to Australia’s first Federal Parliament. Kirwan was born in England in 1869 and was a freelance journalist. He sailed to Australia in 1889 to start a job as a journalist in Queensland. Kirwan resigned that position to work in Victoria, then came to Western Australia in 1895 to work as editor and part owner of the Western Argus and Kalgoorlie Miner.