Edward Larkin

Edward Rennix Larkin (3 January 1880 – 25 April 1915) was an Australian parliamentarian and a national representative rugby union player. Larkin was the member for Willoughby in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from December 1913 until his death. He served in the 1st AIF, and was killed in action on the first day of the Gallipoli Campaign. He was one of only two serving members of any Australian parliament to fall in World War I — the other was George Braund, also a New South Wales MLA who fell at Gallipoli. Early life Larkin was born at North Lambton, New South Wales, to William Joseph Larkin, a quarryman and his wife Mary Ann, née Rennix. His family moved to Camperdown in Sydney where the young Ted Larkin was schooled at St Benedict's Broadway, run by the Marist Brothers. For his last two years of senior schooling he boarded at St. Joseph's College, Hunters Hill, where he played in the college's 1896 first rugby XV. After school he worked in journalism before joining the Metropolitan Police Force in 1903 as a foot-constable, later being promoted to first-constable in 1905. His premature greying made him appear older than he was. Rugby union career He maintained an active involvement in sports after completing his schooling and participated in cricket, swimming and rugby union and played first grade with the Endeavour Rugby Club at Newtown in Sydney. In 1903 he was captain of that club and made his state representative debut for New South Wales against Queensland and then the touring New Zealand national rugby team before being selected for Australia in the first Test of 1903 in Sydney in the August, against those same All Blacks. Larkin played at hooker for the Australian representative side in a pack featuring future rugby league pioneers and dual-code rugby internationals Alex Burdon, Denis Lutge and Bill Hardcastle. The Australians were soundly beaten 22–3 by the All Blacks.