Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of the late Mr. W. J. Johnstone, of the fire Johnstone and Wilmot.  He joined the Victorian Imperial Contingent as a private, and, although having no previous military training, gained early promotion at the front.  Mentioned in despatches. Granted dinstinguished Service Medal of the King.

Arthur Leslie Johnstone, 62, who had been chairman of the Australian Dried Fruits Association for the past 10 years, died in a private hospital from injuries suffered in a motor-car accident 10 miles from Sea Lake. When the accident occurred Mr. Johnstone was returning from, a meeting of the Federal Council in Melbourne. One of the rear tyres was punctured and Mrs. Johnstone, who was driving, applied the brakes to stop tho car, but it swerved and struck a culvert. Mr. Johnstone sustained concussion and shock, and his wife bruises on the chest.

A wire from Mildura yesterday brought word of the death in a motor accident of Mr. Arthur Leslie Johnstone, second son of the late W. J. Johnstone, of Johnstone and Wilmot Pty. Ltd., Launceston. Educated at the  Launceston Church Grammar School, Mr. Johnstone joined the Bank of Australasia staff, but resigned in 1890 to go to Mildura, a centre then in the early stages of its development. One of the pioneers, Mr. Johnstone shared with others of his calibre the credit for building Mildura to a town of 26,500 inhabitants. He saw Australia's first dried fruit crop of 28 tons in 1893 grow to 78,000 tons last year. Besides being a large grower himself he was a director of many of Mildura's leading businesses. The Australian Dried Fruits Association found in him a strong supporter. At the time of his death, after being on the board for 32 years, he had been chairman for 19 years of the Mildura Co-operative Company, a large mercantile house which owns packing sheds and, with associated companies, handles 70 per cent. of Australia's output of dried fruit. He was a member of the Commonwealth Dried Fruits Export Control Board, which consists of three Federal Government representatives and five growers' representatives. Mr. Johnstone, who was born in Launceston, had many friends in this state, and he is survived by his wife and family, and two brothers and three sisters.