Henry Zwar

Henry Zwar OBE
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Heidelberg
In office 14 May 1932 – 3 October 1945
Preceded by	Gordon Webber
Succeeded by	District abolished
Personal details
Born	Henry Peter Zwar (1873-12-02)2 December 1873 Broadford, Victoria
Died	12 January 1959(1959-01-12) (aged 85) Kew, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Resting place	Preston Cemetery
Political party	United Australia Party
Spouse	Jane Frier Cunningham ​ ​ (m. 1898)​
Relations	Albert Zwar (brother) William Zwar (brother) Michael Zwar (father) Agnes Zwar nee Zimmer (mother) Herman Richard Zwar (son) Enid Jean Zwar (daughter) Beryl Carrick Hughes nee Zwar (daughter)
Occupation	Tanner; Preston City Council councillor and mayor

Henry Peter Zwar, OBE (2 December 1873 – 12 January 1959) was an Australian liberal/conservative politician, local government councillor, local government head, Member of Lower House and tannery owner.

Early life

Zwar was born in 1873 in Broadford, Victoria, the younger brother of Albert Zwar. His parents, Michael Zwar and Agnes Zimmer, were Sorbs from Bautzen in Saxony, Germany, who had sought asylum after taking part in the 1848 revolution. The British government told them if they emigrated to Australia, they would be treated as British subjects, and they moved to Broadford in 1850.

Political career

Zwar was elected as a United Australia Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Heidelberg at the 1932 state election. He was re-elected four times for the United Australia Party, and regularly attended and voted in party meetings, though he did not necessarily vote the party line, claiming "conscience as the final court of appeal".

The UAP had become the Liberal Party by the 1945 election, at which an electoral redistribution abolished Heidelberg, placing Zwar in the new, notionally Labor seat of Preston, while shifting the more conservative areas of his old electorate to the new seat of Ivanhoe. In October 1945, Zwar announced that he would not be an endorsed Liberal candidate for the forthcoming election and would contest as an Independent Liberal; he also stated that he did not belong to the Liberal Party and paid no party subscription. He was defeated by 143 votes by Labor candidate and Victoria Cross holder William Ruthven.

Later life

Henry and Jane Zwar lived briefly in Roseberry Avenue, Preston, before moving to nearby Gower Street, where they lived in a house named Rothesay (near the current Preston Library.) The site is now occupied by a childcare centre.

Zwar was president of the Preston Football Club from 1926 until 1944, then served as president of the Victorian Football Association from May 1944 until 1947. Zwar Park in Preston is named in his honour, as is the adjoining Zwar Oval.

Zwar died in Kew, Melbourne, Victoria. He is buried at Preston Cemetery (plot PRE-C2-043), as are his wife Jane Zwar (nee Cunningham) (plot PRE-C2-042) and two of his three children, Herman Richard Zwar (same plot as Henry) and Enid Jean Zwar (same plot as Jane). Henry and Jane's other daughter Beryl Carrick Hughes (nee Zwar) is buried at Fawkner Memorial Park, Garden Bed F, Position 28.