Roydhouse was born in Cardiff (Glamorgan, Wales) on 7 September 1862, and was one of eight children (he had two brothers and five sisters). His family moved to New Zealand in the 1860s, when he was an infant. At first the family lived in Wellington (NZ); then they relocated to Greytown, Wairarapa (NZ).[1]
His parents were W. F. Roydhouse and Mary J. Roydhouse. His father worked in the New Zealand telegraph service, and later ran the Observer newspaper in Carterton (NZ). One brother, Reginald Walter Roydhouse, was editor of the Wairarapa Daily News (Carterton, NZ), whilst another brother, J.C. Roydhouse, worked in the Government Printing Office in Perth (WA); two of his five sisters migrated to Australia.[2]
Thomas first worked as a journalist in New Zealand. He then migrated to Australia in 1888, where he joined the staff of The Herald (Melbourne); during that period he also wrote short stories for the Australian Journal. He set up shop in Woodend (Vic.), where he became the founding editor of The Woodend Star (first issued on 4 September 1888); he ended his connection with the Woodend newspaper on 9 May 1899. In 1889 he went to Sydney, and began working for the Daily Telegraph. Four years later, in late 1893, he became editor of the Sunday Times (holding that position until 1913), as well as being the managing editor of the Arrow and the Referee. Following his resignation in 1913, Roydhouse went on a holiday to Europe, returned to Sydney, and then moved to New Zealand, where he lived for a few years, doing some farming, and then journalism, after which he came back to Australia. He worked as the Sydney correspondent for The Argus (Melbourne), as the author of the “Sydney Day by Day” column (which ran from 1919 to 1937).[3]
Whilst working as a reporter for the Daily Telegraph, he became the subject of the news himself, when he rescued a small boy who had fallen into the water from off a pier.
“Mr. T. R. Roydhouse rescued a little boy yesterday off M‘Mahon’s Point, North Sydney. The child fell into deep water, and Mr. Roydhouse jumped in after the child and brought him to shore.”[4]
He established the Boy Scouts and the Girl Aids (the forerunner of the Girl Guides) in New South Wales. He was a keen supporter of the Aerial League of Australia. He was also Vice-President of the NSW Institute of Journalists, of which group he was a founding member. In the political sphere, he was a firm believer in the British Empire and intra-imperial co-operation; he was made a Councillor of the British Empire League, and was awarded a life membership of the executive of that organisation.[5]
Roydhouse was the author of several publications. Two particular books can be regarded as being notable contributions to Australian literature. The first book is The Labour Party in New South Wales: A History of Its Formation and Legislative Career (1892), which was co-authored with H. J. Taperell. The scond book is an “invasion novel”, The Coloured Conquest (1904), which he wrote under the pseudonym of “Rata” (a pen-name which he used for some other publications). The name “Rata” was taken from a plant which is indigenous to New Zealand); he also gave the name “Rata” to his property in Burwood (Sydney).[6]
His wife, Charlotte, ran the women’s page in the Sunday Times (Sydney), using the pseudonym of “Vivienne”. She died on 25 August 1938, at the age of 73, at their home in Strathfield, leaving behind a grieving husband and six children (three sons and three daughters).[7]
Almost five years after the passing of his wife, Thomas Roydhouse died at home in Strathfield (Sydney, NSW), at the age of 80, on 27 May 1943.[8]
Roydhouse was once described as “a most loveable, kind-hearted man of culture and artistic taste”. His leading participation in civic organisations, such as the Boy Scouts, helped with the building of the social fabric of Australian society. In addition to his civic volunteering, Thomas Richard Roydhouse made some notable contributions to the fields of Australian journalism and Australian literature, for which he deserves a pedestal in the Australia’s literary hall of fame.[9]
Books and booklets by Thomas Richard Roydhouse:
1892: Thos. R. Roydhouse and H. J. Taperell, The Labour Party in New South Wales: A History of Its Formation and Legislative Career Together with Biographies of the Members, and the Complete Text of the Trade Disputes Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 1892, Sydney (NSW): Edwards, Dunlop & Co.
1893: Rata, The Land and the People: A Scheme of Settlement: How to Put the Destitute Unemployed on the Land by the State Yet Without Cost to the State and without Pauperising Those so Assisted, the Key to the Problem, Sydney (NSW): Edwards, Dunlop & Co. (booklet)
1904: Rata, The Coloured Conquest, Sydney (NSW): N.S.W. Bookstall Co.
1904: Rata, Cornwall Park (Maungakiekie): A Princely Gift to the People of New Zealand by Sir John Logan Campbell: A Retrospect and a Glimpse into the Future, Auckland (NZ): The Brett Printing and Publishing Co., [1904]
1915: Thos. R. Roydhouse A New System of Government: Every Elector in the House , Warkworth (N.Z.): [T.R. Roydhouse] (booklet)
1927: The Truth Chain: Spiritual Healing, Sydney (NSW): Publishing Guild (booklet)
1929: Christmas Dinner Souvenir — 1929, Sydney (NSW): [publisher unknown] (booklet)
1936: Frederick Thomas Wimble, Born November 28, 1846, Died January 3, 1936, Sydney (NSW): [publisher unknown] (booklet)
References:
[1] “Thomas Richard Roydhouse”, AustLit
“Rata”, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
Lyman Tower Sargent, “The Coloured Conquest”, Utopian Literature in English: An Annotated Bibliography From 1516 to the Present (The Pennsylvania State University)
[2] “Personal items”, The Bulletin (Sydney, NSW), 24 April 1957, p. 15, column 3 [Observer; Reginald Walter Roydhouse, Daily News]
“Family history research guide”, NSW Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages (mother’s death record: Roydhouse, Mary J.; reg. no. 4349/1908; father’s given name/s: Hugh; mother’s given name/s: Ann; district: Sydney)
[3] “Printed and published…”, The Woodend Star (Woodend, Vic.), 4 September 1888, p. 4 (issue no. 1) [“Printed and published by Roydhouse and Pirani at their printing-office, Collier-street, Woodend.”]
“Personal”, The Woodend Star (Woodend, Vic.), 10 May 1889, p. 2 [Roydhouse leaves the paper]
“Notice: Change of proprietary of the Woodend Star”, The Woodend Star (Woodend, Vic.), 17 May 1889, p. 3 [Roydhouse left the paper on 9 May 1899]
“Plain English”, The Bulletin (Sydney, NSW), 14 October 1893, p. 7, column 2 [was on the Daily Telegraph, became editor of the Sunday Times]
“Personal Gossip”, The Critic (Adelaide, SA), 14 March 1903, p. 8, column 4 [The Herald, Australian Journal]
“Pars about people”, The New Zealand Observer (Auckland, NZ), 19 February 1910, p. 4
Franziska, “Mainly about people”, The Daily News (Perth, WA), 7 May 1913, p. 5 (Third Edition) [going to England]
“Farewelling a journalist”, The Woodend Star (Woodend, Vic.), 10 May 1913, p. 2 [Roydhouse has sailed for Europe, was founder of the Woodend Star]
“Personal”, The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW), 22 November 1913, p. 20 (Second Edition) [leaving for New Zealand, Melbourne Herald, “recently returned to Sydney from a holiday trip to England and the Continent”]
“The Inky Way”, The Bulletin (Sydney, NSW), 4 December 1913, p. 45 [The Herald; resigned from the Sunday Times]
“Personal”, The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW), 22 November 1913, p. 20 (Second Edition) [resigned from the Sunday Times]
“Personal”, The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW), 13 February 1918, p. 10 (Late Edition) [Roydhouse settled in New Zealand, is on a visit to Sydney]
“Obituary: A voice out of the past”, The Woodend Star (Woodend, Vic.), 24 September 1938, p. 2 [Roydhouse worked for the The Herald (Melbourne) re the Melbourne Exhibition]
Thos. R. Roydhouse, “A fine tribute” (letter), The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.), 30 January 1939, p. 2 [Roydhouse says that in 1888 he worked for “the evening paper of that period” (i.e. The Herald); “Sydney Day by Day” column]
“Mr. T. R. Roydhouse dead”, The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW), 29 May 1943, p. 11 [“Sydney Day by Day” column]
“Personal”, The West Australian (Perth, WA), 31 May 1943, p. 2 [The Herald; “appointed to control the “Sunday Times” group of papers”]
“Personal items”, The Bulletin (Sydney, NSW), 2 June 1943, p. 9, column 4 [managing editor of the Arrow and Referee]
“Thomas Richard Roydhouse”, AustLit
[4] “[General news items]”, The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW), 18 September 1891, p. 5, column 3 [rescue at M‘Mahon’s Point, North Sydney.]
“New South Wales”, The South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA), 19 September 1891, p. 5 [rescue at Milson’s Point]
[5] Fred. Baden-Powell, “The chief delighted” (letter), The Sunday Times (Sydney, NSW), 14 February 1909, p. 15 (3rd page of the The Sunday Times Magazine Section) (Second Edition) [letter of thanks re the Boy Scouts]
“British Empire League: A year’s progress: Hopes for the future”, The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW), 23 July 1909, p. 11 (Second Edition) [elected to the council of the British Empire League]
“Pars about people”, The New Zealand Observer (Auckland, NZ), 19 February 1910, p. 4 [Aerial League, Councillor of the British Empire League]
“Personal”, The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW), 16 June 1914, p. 8 (Second Edition) [“elected an hon. life member of the executive of the British Empire and Victoria Leagues in New South Wales”]
“The Institute of Journalists”, The Commonwealth Home (Sydney, NSW), 1 September 1929, p. 19, column 3 [NSW Institute of Journalists]
“Veteran journalist dies”, The Examiner (Launceston, Tas.), 29 May 1943, p. 5 [Boy Scouts, Girl Aids]
“Mr. T. R. Roydhouse dead”, The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW), 29 May 1943, p. 11 [Boy Scouts, Girl Aids, NSW Institute of Journalists]
“Personal items”, The Bulletin (Sydney, NSW), 2 June 1943, p. 9, column 4 [books written, Scouts, Girl Guides, Arrow, Referee]
[6] “Mr. T. R. Roydhouse dead”, The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW), 29 May 1943, p. 11 [NSW Labour Party book; The Coloured Conquest]
“Births ”, The Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW), 6 February 1897, p. 18 [address: Rata, Railway-parade, Burwood]
“Rātā”, Department of Conservation (New Zealand)
“Rata”, New Zealand Plant Conservation Network
[7] “Deaths”, The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW), 27 August 1938, p. 10, column 3 [“August 25, 1938, at her residence, 4 Broughton Road, Homebush, Charlotte, wife of Thomas Richard Roydhouse, in her 73rd year”]
“Obituary”, The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW), 27 August 1938, p. 13 (Late Edition) [“Mrs. Roydhouse, wife of Mr. Thomas R. Roydhouse, journalist, died … at her home at Broughton Road, Homebush”; Vivienne]
“Personal”, The West Australian (Perth, WA), 31 May 1943, p. 2 [“3 sons and 3 daughters”]
[8] “Mr. T. R. Roydhouse dead”, The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW), 29 May 1943, p. 11 [died in Strathfield]
“Personal”, The West Australian (Perth, WA), 31 May 1943, p. 2 [“died at his home at Strathfield”]
“Proceedings under the Copyright Act 1912”, Commonwealth of Australia Gazette (Canberra, ACT), 3 November 1927, p. 2287 (entry no. 16462) [“Thomas Richard Roydhouse, 4 Broughton-road, Homebush, N.S.W.”; this address in Sydney is in the vicinity of Homebush, Strathfield, and Burwood, and has been regarded as being in each of those areas, although it is now regarded as part of Strathfield]
“Rata”, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
“Family history research guide”, NSW Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages (death record: Roydhouse, Thomas Richard; reg. no. 8250/1943; father’s given name/s: William John; mother’s given name/s: Mary; district: Burwood)
[9] “Social Chat of the Day”, The Newsletter: An Australian Paper for Australian People (Sydney, NSW), 29 November 1913, p. 6
Dear Ed. Thank you for educating me about T.R. Roydhouse.
I am amazed that I had never heard of him before; especially of his founding of the Boy Scouts in NSW. With all of his background which your extensive research provides, I was then very surprised to discover that he has NO entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography — rating only one obscure mention in a Clyde Packer biography. With gratitude as always. Raymond
Hi Raymond. Thanks for your comment.
Glad you liked the Roydhouse bio.
Most of the biographies on the site are those of well-known people; but some of them have been created from scratch, e.g. Norman L. Beurle, Erle Cox, W. T. Goodge, Martin Hambleton, Lucy Everett Homfray, Thomas Kennedy, John Lynch, Eva Oakley, P. I. O’Leary, Thomas Richard Roydhouse, Una Shaw, Agnes Louisa Storrie, and Richard Yeoman.
A few of them are brief bios, but others are longer articles – creating those can be quite a task. Hopefully, one day, those short biographies might inspire others to spend the time looking into archival resources, conducting interviews, etc., and create some longer and more detailed biographies. Doing that work might be a good project for some students who are doing their BAs, MAs, or PhDs (one can only hope).
Mind you, writing up biographies of famous people can also take a lot of time and effort; especially when looking at new angles, and tracking down various resources. All such biographies can help build a more complete picture of our historical figures, especially for students learning about our heritage.
It’s all grist for the mill, as they say.
Regards, Ed.
Thank you for including TRR and his wife Charlotte (nee Green), who was also a working journalist. Her “Vivienne” women’s pages in the Sunday Times (Sydney) covered the full gamut of women’s issues of the time, both local and international, as well as promoting the Girl Aids.