People Australia

Robert Joshua, n.d.

Robert (Bob) Joshua (1906-1970) bank officer, parliamentarian and stockbroker 

Birth: 6 June 1906 at Melbourne, Victoria, son of Edward Cecil Joshua (1867-1922), a distiller born in Mauritius, and Melbourne-born Mary Inglis, née Drummond (1876-1963). Marriage: 27 November 1927 at St Roch’s Catholic Church, Glen Iris, to Alma Agnes Watson (1905-2000), a schoolteacher born at Malvern, Victoria. They had five daughters and one son. Death: 2 June 1970 at Ballarat. Religion: Anglican. 

• Educated at Caulfield State School and Wesley College, Melbourne, Bob became a bank teller. He later qualified as an accountant.
• Having previously served in the Citizen Military Forces, he joined the Australian Imperial Force in May 1940 and served in the Middle East and was awarded the Military Cross. He then fought in New Guinea, was promoted to lieutenant colonel and, having thrice been wounded in action, transferred to the Reserve of Officers in February 1946.
• An external student, University of Queensland, in economics and business organisation, he worked as accountant, Bank of Australasia, Ballarat. He was secretary of the Bank Officers’ Association, Gippsland branch, and president of Ballarat branch of the Australian Labor Party.
• Joshua was elected ALP member of the Australian House of Representatives for Ballarat on 28 April 1951. From April 1955 he led the rebel group in Federal parliament which became anti-communist Labor party and later Democratic Labor Party, of which he became the first federal president. He lost his seat at the Federal election held on 10 December 1955.
• He contested Federal seat of Ballarat in 1958, 1961, 1963, 1966, 1969 and the Ballarat State seat in all elections between 1955 and 1969. Leader, ALP (Anti-communist) 1955.
• He was a member of the Ballarat Stock Exchange and honorary treasurer for All Saints Anglican Church, Ballarat
• Cause of death: cancer.