John E. East-Gray was a British/Australian author and local community organizer who was born in Inverness, Scotland in 1824.
Little is known about Gray’s life before his first appearance in Australian publications in 1890.
In a retrospective written in 1899 about Epping Forest, a large woodland just outside the bounds of the city of London, Gray describes how he ‘had spent some of the happiest years of his boyhood in the vicinity of this grand old hunting ground.’ He recounts re-visiting the forest in 1867, and becoming involved in the first large-scale conservationist movement advocating for public use of the forest. He describes working as a secretary for what was likely the Commons Preservation Society, an environmental political activist group which was highly influential in securing the right of the public to use these spaces for leisure, saving them from development by private owners.
At some point before 1890, Gray served in the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers, which saw significant action in India and Afghanistan during this period, attaining the rank of Captain.
Gray first appears in Australian publications in November of 1890, in the rural New South Wales town of Narrandera. He was involved in various community organisations throughout the 1890-92 period, forming a cadet corps at Narrandera Public School, acting as a performer in the Bon Accord Dramatic Club, and directing the Public Hall Company.
By the late 1890s, Gray had moved to Sydney with his wife, Sophie S. Gray, residing in the suburb of Balmain.
His first published short story titled 'Coals of Fire: An Australian Tale of Two Christmas Eves,' appeared in the 1897 Christmas issues of various newspapers across Australia. Set in the year 1870, the first half of the story is dedicated to a romance between two domestic servants under the employ of the wealthy Solomon Steel. The second half of the story sees a family friend of Solomon, Simeon Trust, petition him for a monetary loan to take his family to New Zealand to start a new life. The story is accompanied by two illustrations, which do not list the name of the artist. Gray’s short stories frequently have accompanying art of a similar style, and it is unknown if he illustrated them himself or if he commissioned someone to create them.
Gray’s next work, titled 'Fortune’s Freaks,' was his longest story by far. First published in 1898 and again in 1901, its fourteen total chapters were serialized over seven issues. Following the untimely death of his parents, Ben Mattey, the protagonist of the story, meets the generous Philip Osborne who offers him work on his property back in Australia. He takes Ben home to the fictional town of Barrabrenda, New South Wales, finding it strangely prosperous, being that it was in the midst of the 1851-80 gold rush. A good portion of the story is filled with the day-to-day happenings of the town, specifically a romance forming between Philip and the town priest’s sister, Sophie. The story ends with the town priest, Edward De Vaux, discovering that Ben’s parents owned a deed to the property on which Barrabrenda was built, making Ben its rightful owner. Using his newfound wealth, Ben returns to England to do charitable deeds, not content with living a traditional wealthy lifestyle.
Gray continued to publish short Christmas themed stories in December of 1899, 1900 and 1901, all of a similar style to his first short story. An April 1897 issue of the Sunday Times records a gathering of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes (R.A.O.B.), a large pro-British fraternal society, of which Gray was Grand Primo (leader) of the Surrey Banner of New South Wales. In this capacity, he participated in a local farewell ceremony for a soldier volunteering to serve in the Second Boer War on behalf of Australia in January 1900.
Gray was also a member of various other community organizations, reflecting his broad interest in politics and literature. By 1898 he had resigned from the chairmanship of Balmain’s election committee but was thanked for his service to the local government. In August of 1899 he gave a lecture on the topic of Aesop’s Fables, and in 1904 was appointed to the position of vice-president of the Balmain Congregational Literary and Debating Society.
In 1902, Gray made the decision to run for government, campaigning for the office of alderman of the South-East Ward of Sydney, where his home suburb of Balmain was located. One reporter on the 1st of February described him as being particularly concerned with finances and the borrowing of money. A reporter later that week on the 8th of February provides more information, describing him as a ‘gentleman’ and ‘a literary man’ who had ‘collected around him a good many friends’ and had ‘seen a good deal of the world.’ Gray earned 143 votes, which was only beaten by George Edward Young’s 173 votes.
In November of 1909, Captain East Gray died in his home on George Street at the age of 85.
This biography was researched and written by Brandon Mount.
Sources:
National Army Museum. “9th Queen’s Royal Lancers.” https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/9th-queens-royal-lancers.
Gorman, Mark. “The Anniversary Of Saving Epping Forest.” 8 July 2021. https://spitalfieldslife.com/2021/07/08/the-anniversary-of-saving-epping-forest/.
