Fairfax family
Six generations of the family are descended from Anglo-Celtic immigrants to Australia, patriarch John Fairfax, an English-born journalist, and his wife, Sarah (née Reading).
There was sympathy for him, his friends offered assistance but he decided to make a fresh start in a new land, and in May 1838 sailed for the Colony of New South Wales in the Lady Fitzherbert with his wife and three children, his mother and a brother-in-law.
[5][6] The paper was bought on terms, friends helped the two men to find the deposit, and on 8 February 1841 they took control as proprietors.
It was good combination for each had qualities that supplemented the other's, they worked in harmony for 12 years and firmly established the paper as the leading Australian newspaper of the day.
It was given the fuller title of the Sydney Morning Herald in 1842, and in spite of a period of depression both partners by 1853 were in prosperous positions.
In the previous year his father had visited England and seeking out his old creditors repaid every man in full with interest added.
[citation needed] The Herald was moved to its present site in 1856, and at that date claimed to have the largest circulation in the "colonial empire".
[5] In his latter years, Fairfax served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1874 until his death in 1877, but never took an active part in politics.
Prior to his death, Charles was an apprentice in the Herald and became a member of the firm, named John Fairfax and Sons.
Amy and Carrie never married and followed their mother's philanthropic passions, The Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children (now based at Westmead) and Boy Scouts NSW.
The same year he married Lucy, née Armstrong, and together they had seven children: Mary Elizabeth, Charles Burton, Geoffrey Evan, James Oswald, Harold Walter, (John) Hubert Fraser, and Edward Wilfred.
His philanthropic interests were numerous and included Young Men's Christian Association, the Boys' Brigade in Sydney, the Sydney Ragged Schools, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, the New South Wales Bush Nursing Association, the Mission to Seamen, Goodenough Royal Naval House and the Volunteer Rifles, the No.
Miss Mary's[18] philanthropic and community interests included The Women's College, University of Sydney, Girl Guides' Association, the Boys' Brigade, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Young Women's Christian Association, the Kindergarten Union, the (Sydney) District Nursing Association, the Bush Book Club, the Australian Comforts Fund, the British (Australian) Red Cross Society, the Victoria League, the Society of Arts and Crafts of New South Wales, and the Sydney Symphony Orchestral Ladies' Committee.
His philanthropic and military service interests included the NSW South Wales Lancers, the Queen Victoria Homes and the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
Educated at Sydney Grammar School and Oxford University, Geoffrey married Anne Madeleine (Lena), a daughter of Francis Hixson, and they had no children.
Two years later he became a partner in the family firm, John Fairfax and Sons and in 1892 married Mabel Alice Emmeline, also a daughter of Francis Hixson.
On his return to Australia, Hubert commenced work with Dalgety & Co. Ltd and married Ruth Beatrice (Fairfax) OBE, née Dowling, a founder of the Country Women's Association.
Hubert and Ruth spent much of their life in Queensland where they bred Ayrshire cattle and Corriedale sheep, acquiring properties at Longreach, Marinya, near Cambooya on the Darling Downs, and in Sydney in Double Bay and Castle Hill.
Hubert's business interests included directorships of John Fairfax and Sons Limited, the Bank of New South Wales, the AMP Society and the Royal Insurance Co. His philanthropic interests included the Walter and Eliza Hall Trust, the Young Men's Christian Association, the Boys' Brigade, the Australian Air League, the British Empire Society, the Legacy Club of Sydney, the Ayrshire Association of Queensland, the Australian Corriedale Sheepbreeders' Association, the New South Wales Sheepbreeders' Association and the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales.
Dr Fairfax lectured at Sydney University, was a visiting medical officer at the Royal Hospital for Women, an honorary medical officer of the Red Cross Society (NSW), and was a founding member of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.
His philanthropic interests included the Australian Aerial Medical Service, Dr. Barnardo's Homes, the Bush Nursing Association, and the Boys' Brigade.
[19] Educated at Winchester School and New College, Oxford, Fairfax served in the 15th Indian Division for the duration of the First World War, and rose to the rank of Captain in the Army Service Corps.
His third and final marriage was to Mary, née Wein; now known as Lady Fairfax AC, OBE, a Polish-born Australian philanthropist.
He served in the 2nd Australian Imperial Force in World War II and saw active duty in the 1945 Borneo Campaign.
During his lifetime he facilitated the establishment of the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, a major Australian philanthropic organisation.
He was appointed an Officer (AO) of the Order of Australia in 1993 in recognition of service to the arts and to the community;[40] and a Companion of the Order (AC) in 2010 for eminent service to the community through support and philanthropy for the visual arts, conservation organisations and building programs for medical research and educational facilities.
[41] Fairfax published My regards to Broadway: a memoir in 1991; and died at his property Retford Park, Bowral (which he bequeathed to the National Trust) in January 2017, aged 83 years.
Young Warwick, as he came to be known, graduated from Oxford University with an undergraduate degree in politics and economics and was awarded his MBA from Harvard Business School.
's philanthropic interests include the Girls and Boys Brigade and the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales.
[51] Tim was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2004 for service to business and commerce, particularly through agricultural, transport and communications enterprises, and to the community, through education and arts organisations;[52] and a Companion of the Order (AC) in 2014 for eminent service to business and to the community, as an advocate for philanthropy and as a major supporter of the visual arts, to the promotion of higher education opportunities, and to rural and regional development programs.
