The Monkwearmouth man dubbed history’s most influential Mackem
Here’s a challenge for you. Help us find the most influential Wearside person in history.
Sandy Phillips has put forward his own suggestion and it’s a Sunderland man who twice became the Premier of Australia.
Is Sandy right? Is his ancestor top of the list or do you knowdifferent?First,let’stake alookatSandy’sowncontribution.
What a man Frank Wilson was.
TwicePremierofAustralia, thefounderoftheUniversityof Western Australia, managing director of a timber company.
He did it all after emigratingfromMonkwearmouthand was given the Freedom of Sunderland when he returned.
His descendant Sandy, a retired chartered accountant, contacted the Sunderland Echototellus:“GivenallFrank achieved,Ibelievethatheisthe Sunderland citizen who is the G.O.A.T (greatest of all time).”
The story starts at the turn of the 19th century when Sandy’s several times great cousin, Annie Phillips, married Monkwearmouth-born Frank and they emigrated to Australia.
Frank was the “son of a prominent Sunderland family andhadbeenprivatelyeducated in Germany and Sheffield.”
By October 1891, he was managing director of the Canning Jarrah Timber Company. He later held other directorships and was president of the Perth Chamber of Commerce.
From 1895, he was involved inlocalpoliticsandprogressed to represent Canning in the Western Australia Legislative AssemblywherehesatinoppositiontoPremierJohnForrest.
"Frank had a successful business career and went into politicsandwastwicePremier of Western Australia in 1909 and 1911,” said Sandy.
"It was during 1911 under his Premiership, and with the considerable generosity of wealthy donors, the University of Western Australia (UWA) was founded.
"Western Australia comprises two fifths of the land mass of Australia and is bigger in area than the whole of Western Europe. Yet even today, it
hasapopulationonlyofaround 5million people.
"At that time Western Australia was considered a newcomer compared with the establishedstatesofNewSouth Wales and Victoria so to found the first university was a great moment.”
Since 1911, UWA has had more than 140,000 graduates
includingBobHawke,thecharismaticformerPrimeMinister ofAustralia;severalsuccessors to Frank Wilson as Premiers of Western Australia; Rod Eddington, former CEO of British Airways; and several Nobel prize winners.
Frank returned to the UK as the representative for Western Australia at the Coronation of King George V in June 1911, when he was awarded the Freedom of Sunderland and stayed with Annie’s parents in Sunderland.
AspecialGalaperformance was held in Frank’s honour at the Sunderland Empire and he gave interviews extolling the virtues of Western Australia and urging people to emigrate.
Now111yearson,Sandyhas evenmorereasontofeelproud.
He watched the graduation ceremonyofhistwograndsons Jake and Tim Norris from that very same university.
Who is your contender for the greatest Sunderland person of all time?
Email chris.cordner@nationalworld.com