Date of Birth: 01/04/1911
Place of Birth: Grenfell, New South Wales, Australia
Date of Death: 22/09/1966
Place of Death: Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia
Parliamentary Service
| Member for Wyong |
03 Mar 1962 |
31 Mar 1965 |
3 years 29 days |
|
| Speaker of the Legislative Assembly |
21 Apr 1959 |
29 Jan 1965 |
5 years 9 months 9 days |
|
| Member for North Sydney |
21 Mar 1959 |
05 Feb 1962 |
2 years 10 months 16 days |
|
| Member for North Sydney |
03 Mar 1956 |
16 Feb 1959 |
2 years 11 months 14 days |
|
| Member for North Sydney |
14 Feb 1953 |
06 Feb 1956 |
2 years 11 months 24 days |
|
| Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly |
14 Feb 1953 |
31 Mar 1965 |
12 years 1 month 18 days |
|
Political Party Activity
Australian Labor Party (ALP). Joined in 1927. President of Willoughby branch, offices in state electorate councils.
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Cement contractor. Educated at De La Salle College, Ashfield and University of Sydney., BA in 1944; gave up plans for studying law and became a successful cement contractor; member of Australian Workers' Union; after resignation from Parliament following allegations against him of which he was subsequently cleared. Employed as a managing clerk in a legal firm at Parramatta. director of Benevolent Society of New South Wales from 1958 until 1963; president of New South Wales branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association; adjudicator in public speaking at City of Sydney Eisteddfod. Member of several sporting organisations.
Membership of other Parliaments & Offices Held
Local Government Activity
Personal
Son of Lawrence Thomas Maher, organiser for Australian Workers' Union, and Ann Maria McKeon. Married Irene Kedgley on 22 October 1938. Roman Catholic. Funeral at Northern Suburbs Lawn Cemetery from St Francis Xavier's Roman Catholic Church in North Sydney.
Additional Information
Text from the book: 'The Presiding Officers of the Parliament of New South
Wales', Sydney, 1995
Ray Maher was born on 1 April 1911 at Grenfell in New South Wales. He married
Irene Kedgley in October 1938. They had no children. Although he was a talented
student the Depression forced Maher to abandon his aspirations of becoming a
lawyer. Instead he established a successful cement contracting business and
became involved in trade union activities and the Labor Party.
Despite unsuccessfully contesting the seats of Wagga Wagga in 1935, Drummoyne
in 1938 and North Sydney in 1950, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly
for North Sydney from 1953 to 1962, and for Wyong from 1962 until his
resignation in 1965. With a reputation for being a strong debater, it was
considered that Maher would be an efficient and forceful Speaker. He was
elected Speaker in 1959 and managed to maintain the independence of the office.
As Speaker, Maher developed a reputation for consistent rulings and for
actively protecting and improving the rights and privileges of the Members of
Parliament. Although he was Speaker for half his Parliamentary term, his career
came to an abrupt end in 1965 when he was accused of an impropriety towards a
staff member. Although acquitted, his reputation was destroyed and he died
eighteen months later in September 1966 at Crows Nest in Sydney.
