Labour Australia

Vernon Goodin, n.d.

Goodin, Vernon William Edward (1892-1971) teacher, politician and genealogist 

Birth: 24 July 1892 at Kenthurst, New South Wales, son of William Edward Goodin, plate layer, and Edith, née le Strange. Marriages: (1) 15 December 1917 at Carlingford, NSW, to Margaret Elsie Morison. They had one daughter and one son. (2) 1939 to Leila Edith Rosenthal. They had one daughter and one son. Death: 12 October 1971 at Carlingford. Religion: Anglican. 

• Educated at Albion Street Superior Public School and Sydney Boys' High School. Spent early life on farm.
• Went to sea as a trimmer and fireman.
• Joined Education Department, trained at Hereford House in 1912. Taught in city and country schools including Lismore 1918-20, Broken Hill High 1920-23 and Wagga Wagga High 1923-25, obtaining scholarship to University of Sydney (BA 1918, MA 1921).
• Joined Broken Hill branch of the Australian Labor Party while teaching. Joined Wagga Wagga Branch of ALP in 1923 and was secretary in 1925.
• Elected member of the Legislative Assembly for Murray on 30 May 1925. Was opposed to J.T. Lang and, expelled from the ALP, was defeated when he stood for parliament as Independent Labor for seat of Albury on 8 October 1927.
• Returned to teaching after defeat, at Mosman Intermediate, Technical High, Central Technical, and Parramatta High. Later was research officer with Education Department to 1953.
• Life member, Australian Genealogical Society, from 1946, and fellow 1963. Associated with T. D.Mutch in 'Index to First Settlers'. Compiled St John's Cemetery, Parramatta – Monumental Inscriptions and Key to Graves (1964).

Sources
Heather Radi, Peter Spearritt & Elizabeth Hinton, Biographical Register of the NSW Parliament 1901-1970 (Canberra, 1979); N. B. Nairn, The Big Fella (Carlton, 1986), pp 142-143; Christopher Cunneen, William John McKell, (Sydney 2000) pp 84-87; Australian Workers, 10 June 1925, 3 November 1926 p 1; personal papers in State Library of New South Wales.