People Australia

Mr. Llewellyn Charles Russell-Jones, Mayor of Petersham, was born in Sydney in 1855. He is the second son of the late Mr. John Russell-Jones, solicitor, who was the oldest resident of Petersham, having built his residence in 1857. The present Mayor is a solicitor and notary, practising in Sydney. He was educated at the Sydney Grammar School under headmasters Professors Stephens and Weigall. He served his articles with the well-known firm of solicitors, Messrs. Daintrey and Chapman, and, on the acceptance by Mr. Chapman of the position of Prothonotary of the Supreme Court, he joined the firm, which was carried on for some years as Daintrey and Jones. In the year 1888 Mr. Russell Jones took a trip round the world, visiting India, Egypt, Malta, Sicily, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, and the principal cities of the United States of America, where he had the opportunity of studying the various modes of local municipal government and systems of sanitation. In February, 1888, he was elected an alderman for South Kingston Ward: and in the same year he again visited the old world, when he was absent for about eight mouths. During this second visit he inspected many of the municipal institutions of England, and received an invitation from the Mayor of Birmingham to be present at the great Liberal meeting held at Bingley Hall, where 17,000 persons assembled, and were addressed by Mr. W. E. Gladstone, Lord Rosebery, Sir Vernon Harcourt, Mr. John Morley, and others. On this occasion he had an interview with Mr. Gladstone. On returning to the colony, in 1889, Mr. Jones' advocated, and was the means of carrying out, the system of covered drainage under the footpaths which has been the means of placing the borough of Petersham so much in advance of other municipalities in sanitary matters. He was elected Mayor in February, 1891, during which year special finance committees were held, and the system of having two council-clerks was abolished, and new and more efficient arrangements adopted in the management of the council, both as to the collection of accounts and otherwise. The Petersham Park, which had been neglected, was made one of the ornaments of the district by being laid out as a cricket and recreation ground for the people. In February this year he was again unanimously elected Mayor, and has been the means of having the improvements that are being made to the Annandale-Stanmore Estate. Roads are being formed, metalled, kerbed, guttered, and asphalted, at the cost of £3000, to which the Johnston family, contribute £1100. He was unanimously elected the first president of the Cambrian Society of New South Wales, which position he still retains. He married in 1884 the second daughter of the late John Russell, the head of the well-known firm of ironfounders, Messrs. P. N. Russell and Co., of Darling Harbour.