The Ballarat Courier, Thursday 23 May 1912
(Ballarat, Victoria)

OBITUARY
MR T. H. LAWN
The practical miners of this State lost an old-time doughty champion early yesterday morning with the passing of Mr Thos. H. Lawn, for over a quarter of a century secretary of the Ballarat branch of the Mining Employees' Association of Victoria and Tasmania. The deceased had been steadily failing for nearly a fortnight past, and death was not unexpected. News of his end was, however, received none the less regretfully, for the deceased gentleman was greatly liked and highly respected by all who knew him in friendship or in business. He was a Cornishman by birth, and before coming out to Australia, when a young man of 19 years - 50 years ago - Mr Lawn had experience in the Cornish coal mines. His companion voyager was his mother. Mr Lawn secured employment on the Ballarat goldfield, working in several quartz mines. He was one of the pioneers of the movement to ameliorate the conditions of mining, and was a member of the first executive committee of the Miners' Association, now known as the Mining Employees' Association. Nearly 26 years ago he succeeded to the secretaryship of the branch, in which capacity he was, if not the hero of quite a hundred fights, was the victor of a goodly proportion of a century of battles for re-election. In recent years Mr Lawn, while a staunch unionist, was among those who resisted the attempt made to bring the Association under the influence of the Political Labor League. The movement to that end was at length successful, and Mr Lawn cheerfully bowed to the will of the majority. As secretary of the branch Mr Lawn was called upon on many occasions to assist in the adjustment of difficulties, major and minor, and representatives of the mine-owners engaged in the negotiations from time to time had reason to feel that Mr Lawn, while putting up a good fight for his side, had adopted a fair and just attitude towards them. He was thus a factor in the amicable settlement of many disagreements. Mr Lawn's experience in this connection made him an invaluable member of the annual conferences at which he was a regular attendant, and in addition to seeing the first conference, he has very probably also seen the last, as at the recent session at the "miners' parliament" in Ballarat it was decided that no more conferences be held, as the newly created federal council will handle the miners' interests in industrial relations. Mr Lawn was a candidate for the general secretaryship of the Association some years ago, but did not succeed; the position going to the late Mr J. Praed.
As a citizen Mr Lawn took an interest in the welfare of his fellow-residents. He was one of the founders of the Ballarat Fire Brigade, and was a member and trustee of the Brigade Club up till his death, and the flag at the club building was at half-mast out of respect to him yesterday. He was one of the fleetest members of the brigade in the competitions of 10 years ago, and was one of the team that visited New Zealand in the early seventies. In later years when increasing avoirdupois lessened his activities he managed to score a win with such old-timers as George Goddard, John Noonan, and Edwin Major in the "old buffers'" representative fours at Eight Hours' Day demonstrations. Mr Lawn attained to seats on the committees of the Benevolent Asylum and Orphanage. He was also one of the earliest members of the Ballarat Masonic Lodge, of which he was auditor for many years. An enthusiastic supporter of the Golden Point Football Club, he made his last public appearance when he saw the team defeat South Ballarat last Saturday week. Mr Lawn was twice a widower. His second wife was the widow of the late Mr J. H. Trotman, one of his closest friends. By the former marriage the deceased reared a family of nine children, but some did not survive. The sons are all well-known in athletic and sporting circles, and one - "Jim" - served in the South African war as a member of the first Victorian contingent. The funeral is to take place to-morrow at the Old Cemetery, and it is likely that the firemen and members of the Association will march to the cemetery.
 
Transcriber's Note: Thomas was a union official in Ballarat. He was descended from Timothy Lawn, soldier, who married Ann Tregonning in St Gluvius, Cornwall in 1747. He died at age 69, of 31 Barkly Street. The cemetery record says he was buried on 23 May; the obituary says he was buried on 24 May.

Contributed by Bob Bolitho