Edwin Kerby

Lore & Background

Edwin Kerby was born in Ballarat, Victoria, the son of James Macklam Kerby and Margaret Ann Kerby. He attended Grenville College, Ballarat, and became a mining engineer and electrical contractor. He served in World War I from 1914 to 1919, earning the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and Victory Medal. In 1919 he was selected as the Nationalist candidate for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Ballaarat, defeating sitting Labor MP Charles McGrath by one vote—the closest result ever recorded for the House of Representatives. McGrath successfully challenged the election in the courts, and a by-election in 1920 returned McGrath to the seat. After his political defeat, Kerby became a businessman focusing on aviation and rose to prominence among ex-servicemen's causes, holding the leadership of the RSL. Throughout his adult life he maintained an interest in amateur radio, holding callsign VK7EK while resident at Ringarooma, Tasmania from 1932 to 1939, and VK3KK while living in Auburn, Melbourne, Victoria from 1946 to 1969. He died at the Macleod Repatriation Sanatorium in Macleod, Victoria, on 5 July 1971.

Reader's Guide

Edwin Kerby's significance lies in his dual legacy as a political figure and an amateur radio operator. His 1919 election defeat by one vote remains the closest result in Australian House of Representatives history, a record that underscores the volatility of early federal politics. After losing the seat, he transitioned to business and veterans' advocacy, leading the RSL and shaping post-war ex-servicemen's causes. His amateur radio activity, spanning callsigns VK7EK in Tasmania and VK3KK in Victoria, reflects a lifelong engagement with the hobby that paralleled his public career. The callsigns and locations—Ringarooma, Tasmania (1932–1939) and Auburn, Melbourne (1946–1969)—document his movements and the continuity of his interest. Kerby's story illustrates how amateur radio often coexists with other professional and civic pursuits, and his political near-miss adds a distinctive footnote to Australian electoral history.

Did You Know?

• Kerby lost the 1919 federal election by a single vote, the closest result in Australian House of Representatives history.
• He held amateur radio callsign VK7EK while living in Ringarooma, Tasmania from 1932 to 1939.
• He married Rosina May Prisk in 1911 and later Elizabeth Beatrice Simons Beauchamp in 1945.