Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

KALGOORLIE TRAGEDY.
Town Clerk's Death.
KALGOORLIE, May 1.--After a long and painful illness the death occurred this morning of Harold Arthur Kingsbury, Town Clerk of Kagoorlie. His body was found about 6.30 am in an outhouse at the rear of his home at 47 Varden street, Kalgoorlie, with a gunshot wound in the head. The late Mr. Kingsbury had suffered great pain for over 15 months from an inoperable cancer. He entered the Kalgoorlie District Hospital for medical attention early in February, 1945, returned to work again in June of that year and on November 25,  1945, left for Melbourne by plane, where he under went further medical treatment. He returned home early this year, since when his condition had gradually worsened.
A keen enterprising citizen with a bright personality, Mr. Kingsbury was very popular. As a councillor and later as Town Clerk he worked assiduously in the interests of the town and many improvements and public facilities were achieved as a result of his driving force. His enterprise in planning and designing a park which has not yet been completed adjacent to the olympic pool resulted in the council conferring upon him the honour of naming it Kingsbury Park.
Mr. Kingsbury was born at Dandenong, Victoria, on April 14, 1891, and when four years of age was taken by his parents to Coolgardie. He was educated at Perth Boys' School and in 1908 joined the staff of the Goldfields Water Supply, with which he remained until 1939, when he resigned from the department to take over the duties of Town Clerk of  Kalgoorlie. Previously he had served two periods as a councillor of the Kalgoorlie Municipality, commencing from 1926 and covering a total of nine years. He had two years'  overseas service with the first A.P., and was a foundation member of the Kalgoorlie sub-branch of the Returned Soldiers' League, a member of the executive for a long period and subsequently president.
Farmer League Footballer.
In football circles he was a well known figure, playing league football for East Perth in the days of Phil Matson and after the war for the Kalgoorlie Railway Club. He later held the  offices of secretary and president of the Goldfields National Football Association. As a young man in the early years of the present century swimming and cycling claimed his  attention and in both sports he gained State honours, in cluding a "Swim through Guildford" and Northam to Perth and Toodyay to Perth cycle races, gaining fastest time and  creating a record in the latter event. He is survived by a wife and two children-Mrs. Dorothy Clyde Higgs, of Kalgoorlie, and Lieutenant Bill Kingsbury.