# List of chief presidents of the Australian Natives' Association

The Australian Natives' Association (ANA) was a mutual society founded in Melbourne, Australia in April 1871. From 1877, the ANA elected a Chief President at their Annual Conference held at different cities each year. The ANA ceased having a Chief President in 1993, following their merger of certain operations with Manchester Unity IOOF of Victoria to create Australian Unity.

## Chief presidents

| Year | Name | Branch elected from | Conference elected at | Additional information |
| 1877-78 | Thomas O'Callaghan | Sandhurst | Melbourne | First Conference held on Melbourne Cup Day, 9 November 1877. O’Callaghan took a conservative view of the proper function of the ANA. He believed that as a benefit society it should have nothing to do with matters that might be considered political. |
| 1879-80 | Simon Cadden | Ballarat | Melbourne | The ninth branch of the ANA was formed in Charters Towers, Queensland, in 1879. |
| 1881 | Malachi James Cahill | Sandhurst | Ballarat | The 1881 Census showed for the first time that the Australian born were for the first time in a majority, with 59% of the population. Cahill first proposes the precursor to Australia Day in 1884. |
| 1882 | William Anderson | Creswick | Melbourne | Anderson was active in promoting new branches, achieving five new branches in 1882 when Chief President. |
| 1883 | Richard Henry Hart | Stawell | Stawell | When Hart was Chief President membership of the ANA grew by 40%. |
| 1884 | Osbert Edrick Wilson | Horsham | Creswick | Wilson chaired the first public meeting run by the ANA in support of Federation of the Australian colonies and other national issues. |
| 1885-1886 | Alexander Peacock | Creswick | Bendigo & Melbourne | Peacock was always an active office holder in the association, expanding its membership and branches in the 1880s, and leading it into an increasingly public role in the 1890s, especially in area of Federation. |
| 1887 | Thomas Jefferson Connelly | Sandhurst | Ballarat | Connelly was the founding editor of the second ANA journal, the National Australian. He also travelled to South Australia to form the ANA there. |
| 1888-89 | James Liddell Purves | Melbourne | Geelong & Bendigo | While his speeches alienated some, association grew in members and branches under his leadership, and his oratory aroused in its members a strong sense of responsibility for their country's future. |
| 1890 | David John Wheal | Ballarat | Maryborough | The ANA Intercolonial Federation Conference held in Melbourne on 22 January 1890, with Wheal one of the Victorian delegates and as vice president. |
| 1891 | George Wise | Sale | Ararat | Wise worked to federate Australia on a democratic basis. He was a trustee of the Association for 53 years. |
| 1892 | John William Larter | Ballarat East | Sale | ANA reaches 10,000 members. |
| 1893 | Alexander Peacock | Creswick | Kyneton | His third term as Chief President. |
| 1894 | George Fitzsimmons | Prahran | Warrnambool | The 1894 ANA Warrnambool Conference passed a series of radical motions adopting as ANA ‘planks’ a tax on the unimproved value of land, a minimum wage for workers in public utilities, and full adult suffrage. |
| 1895 | Joseph Kirton | Ballarat | Melbourne | |
| 1896 | James Hume Cook | Brunswick | Daylesford | |
| 1897 | Richard Toutcher | Richmond | Castlemaine | |
| 1898 | Carty Salmon | Avoca | Bendigo | |
| 1899 | Edward Elliott Roberts | Flemington | Port Fairy | |
| 1900 | Walter Skelton | Dunnolly | Geelong | |
| 1901 | Thomas Crosbie | North Melbourne | Beechworth | |
| 1902 | T. M. Burke | Ararat | Ballarat | |
| 1903 | Arthur Robinson | Malvern | Daylesford | |
| 1904 | J. M. A. Callaghan | Coburg | Bairnsdale | |
| 1905 | T. Glass | Sandhurst | Queenscliff | |
| 1906 | A. D. Freeman | Castlemaine | Shepparton | |
| 1907 | A. J. O’Dwyer | Echuca | Hamilton | |
| 1908 | A. G. Proudfoot | Hawthorn | Maryborough | |
| 1909 | A. A. Peverill | South Melbourne | Geelong | |
| 1910 | E. D. Wilcox | Geelong | Echuca | |
| 1911 | John Lemmon | Williamstown | Warrnambool | |
| 1912 | William Francis McNamara | Rushworth | Castlemaine | |
| 1913 | Morris Mondle Phillips | Malvern | Ararat | |
| 1914 | A. M. Taylor | Ballarat | Wangaratta | |
| 1915 | J. H. Hewison | Carlton | Port Fairy | |
| 1916 | A. C. Ostrom | Echuca | Warragul | |
| 1917 | M. Davine | Warragul | Kerang | |
| 1918 | C. A. Hack | Collingwood | Bendigo | |
| 1919 | G. D. McLean | Castlemaine | Horsham | |
| 1920 | G. Allen Moir | Albert Park | Sale | |
| 1921 | Thos Rust | Hawthorn | Colac | |
| 1922 | E. J. L. Bremner | Toora | Mildura | |
| 1923 | Albert Bussau | Hopetoun | Bairnsdale | |
| 1924 | V. L. Ginn | Malvern | Warrnambool | |
| 1925 | J. Patterson | Mildura | Ballarat | |
| 1926 | Bill Slater | Hamilton | Sorrento | |
| 1927 | J. Green | Mirboo North | Hamilton | |
| 1928 | A. Staples | Bendigo | Swan Hill | |
| 1929 | A. G. Byrne | South Yarra | Healesville | |
| 1930 | J. Howlett Ross | Fitzroy | Echuca | |
| 1931 | D. Black | Sunshine | Warrnambool | |
| 1932 | J. M. Elliot | Ballarat East | Bendigo | |
| 1933 | R. C. Ritchie | Murrumbeena | Mornington | |
| 1934 | Harry Drew | Middle Park | Mildura | |
| 1935 | P. J. Toohey | Warracknabeal | Queenscliff | |
| 1936 | G. F. Holland | Albert Park | Castlemaine | |
| 1937 | J. W. Marrows | Merbein | Warragul | |
| 1938 | S. J. Herron | Prahran | Sorrento | |
| 1939 | J. B. Dwyer | Warrnambool | Warrnambool | |
| 1940 | H. G. Hughes | Geelong West | Cowes | |
| 1941-42 | J. E. Menadue | Horsham | Sorrento | Served for two years as a result of the Second World War |
| 1943 | Dr. A. R. Haywood | Hastings | Melbourne | |
| 1944-45 | H. B. V. Dimelow | Fitzroy | Melbourne | Served for two years as a result of the Second World War |
| 1946 | P. J. Lynch CBE | Murrumbeena | Melbourne | |
| 1947 | Bill Fulton | Maffra | Geelong | |
| 1948 | R. J. Joseph | St Kilda | Ballarat | |
| 1949 | A. Shaw | Moyston | Bendigo | |
| 1950 | W. G. Smallman | Footscray West | Sorrento | |
| 1951 | A. R. Milne | Tatura | Bendigo | |
| 1952 | J. E. Kellway | Elsternwick | Ballarat | |
| 1953 | C. W. Quihampton | Fitzroy | Queenscliff | |
| 1954 | V. G. Wright | Bentleigh | Daylesford | |
| 1955 | J. A. Donald | Camberwell | Mildura | |
| 1956 | G. A. Abberton | Williamstown | Sorrento | |
| 1957 | G. Briggs | Burwood | Lorne | |
| 1958 | Arthur Smith | Seymour | Lorne | |
| 1959 | T. R. Davey | Balwyn & Deepdene | Lakes Entrance | |
| 1960 | E. W. Pitts | Newport | Ballarat | |
| 1961 | H. J. Peagram | South Yarra | Daylesford | |
| 1962 | H. T. Shannon | Box Hill | Warrnambool | |
| 1963 | K. E. Rash | Ballarat | Wangaratta | |
| 1964 | J. A. S Geddes | Creswick | Lorne | Amalgamated with the Australasian Women's Association |
| 1965 | C. D. D. Martin | Glen Iris | Sorrento | |
| 1966 | D. C. T. Robertson | Camberwell | Lorne | |
| 1967 | J. E. Menadue | Black Rock | Wodonga | Second term as Chief President |
| 1968 | H. A. Patterson | Learmonth | Mildura | |
| 1969 | F. E. Capuano | Essendon North | Yarrawonga | |
| 1970 | W. . Foley | Ballarat | Lakes Entrance | |
| 1971 | A. J. Brisbane | Wangaratta | Wangaratta | |
| 1972 | H. T. Murley | Bendigo | Swan Hill | |
| 1973 | B. J. Kelleher | Chadstone | Sale | |
| 1974 | J. A. S Geddes | Creswick | Horsham | Second term as Chief President |
| 1975 | L. J. Yelland | Elsternwick | Shepparton | |
| 1976 | F. E. Capuano | Essendon North | Wodonga | Second term as Chief President |
| 1977 | Mrs. I. V. Meagher | Fairfield & Alphington | Portland | The first Female Chief President, previously a member of AWA. |
| 1978 | H. J. Peagram | South Yarra | Bairnsdale | |
| 1979 | W. A. Cuddihy | Elsternwick | Wangaratta | |
| 1980 | R. A. Storey AIHIA | Bendigo | Bendigo | |
| 1981 | W. L. J. Crofts | Altona | Hamilton | |
| 1982 | E. S. A. Wickham | Hawthorn | Ballarat | |
| 1983 | Mrs. S. V. Wright | Rosebud | Horsham | |
| 1984 | B. W. Armstrong | Glen Iris | Yarrawonga | |
| 1985 | W. L. J. Cook | Geelong | Geelong | |
| 1986 | G. D. Wearne | Newington | Sale | |
| 1987 | J. H. Dean | Bendigo | Warrnambool | |
| 1988 | W. R. Jewell | Box Hill | Swan Hill | |
| 1989 | T. A. Byrne | Yarraville | Bendigo | Agreement to merge ANA with the Manchester Unity IOOF Friendly Society to create Australia Unity. |
| 1990 | Alan Yawkins | Ballarat | | |
| 1990 | Leon Hickey | Central | | Merger of ANA with the Manchester Unity to create Australia Unity was completed. |