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and persevered with it in the face of several vetoes by the federal government. As a miner, he also fought for the
introduction of legislation for better safety standards in mines and compensation for miners affected by silicosis
although he died before this piece of legislation went through. W J Fisher (a mining man) was greatly supportive
of him in these efforts.
Even though he was frequently away from Tennant Creek, he retained his interest in the community affairs
of the town. On 3 April 1956, he was nominated by the Tennant Creek Development Association to be one of the
trustees of the recreation reserve, the public hall and the tennis courts. He was a member of the Town Management
Board that first sat in April 1962. In 1961, what had been the Tennant Creek Youth Club was formed into a Scout
troop and he was president at the time.
Purkiss stood for re-election on 30 October 1965 in what Fred Walker, then Clerk of the House, described
as ‘the roughest campaign in the history of the Legislative Council’. Although Purkiss was seriously ill,
he comfortably held his seat and was much admired for campaigning when he was so obviously in poor health.
Until that time the Administrator had been President of the Legislative Council but with legislative changes, the
next sittings were to see an elected president. It was generally agreed that that member would be Purkiss but he
died on 24 November 1965 before the sittings commenced, and the honour then fell to Harry Chan, who created
history in his own right. In his acceptance speech, Chan acknowledged that he had not been first choice as elected
president and continued, ‘I cannot give you the knowledge and experience that Mr Purkiss had but I can promise
to try... to emulate his sense of justice and fair play’. A formal motion of sympathy was moved in the House on
15 December 1965 and as a mark of respect, the sitting was suspended for four hours.
At the time of his death, Purkiss had been a member longer than anyone else and was held in respect by those
on both sides of the House. Bernie Kilgariff, later to represent the Northern Territory in the Commonwealth
parliament, said, ‘Over many years Mr Purkiss spared neither himself his time nor his pocket in a sincere effort to
improve conditions in the Northern Territory which he loved so fiercely. The fact that he was in indifferent health
for a number of years did not lessen the tenacity with which he battled for what he considered right. Len Purkiss was
in every sense a man and his passing could well be regarded as a personal loss by every Territorian’. The Northern
Territory News published an obituary as an editorial, which noted that, his ‘greatest quality was an immense,
almost overpowering, physical and mental courage’.
His funeral was the largest ever seen in Tennant Creek and was attended by people from Alice Springs, outlying
mines and stations and Darwin, including eleven members and staff of the Northern Territory Legislative Council.
Leonard Hunter Purkiss was buried according to the rites of the United Church and in the Tennant Creek cemetery
he lies close to his wife who died on 23 September 1958. His married daughters and their families survived him.
The ‘Purkiss Memorial’ sporting complex that caters for football, baseball, basketball and tennis and includes
the swimming pool, bowling greens and the townsfolk for his contribution to their welfare name clubhouse for
him in a tribute.
Australian Archives, Darwin, CRS F1 1955/1332, 1960/1602; Centralian Advocate, 2 December 1965; Northern Territory Archives NTRS
615; Northern Territory News, 25 November 1965; Northern Territory Parliamentary Record, vol XIII, 1965; H Tuxworth, Tennant Creek,
1978; F Walker, A Short History of the Legislative Council for the Northern Territory, 1986; H J Wilson, ‘The Heritage of Tennant Creek’,
Report to the National Trust of Australia (Northern Territory), 1995.
HELEN J WILSON, Vol 3.
PURVIS, ADELA VIOLET nee ZIMMERMANN (1907–1972), musician, governess, teacher, pastoralist, author
and community worker, was born on 28 February 1907 at Lyndoch, South Australia, the youngest of three children,
two boys and a girl, of Paul Ferdinand Zimmermann, a farmer and hotelier, and his wife Anna Marie Ottilie,
nee Liebelt. She was educated at Saint Peter’s Girls Collegiate, Adelaide.
She could play the organ at six and started to win singing competitions from 10 years of age. She was tutored
in music—piano, organ and voice—until the age of 20. Adela had a beautiful singing voice.
In 1928, she was the governess at Witchelina Station near Farina in South Australia. She came to Alice Springs
in 1929 and for a while was a governess at Undoolya Station.
From 1922 to 1936, she taught music, singing and drama in Alice Springs. On 29 April 1936, she married
Robert Henry Purvis and went to live on what was then known as Woodgreen Station, a small cattle property
to the north east of Alice Springs on the Sandover Highway. Their only surviving child, who was named after his
father, was later the powner/manager. The station then became known as Atartinga.
Adela Purvis was plagued with ill health for much of her life. During a long stint in hospital, she became
interested in the collection of history and maps of Central Australia that her husband had put together over many
years.
In the ensuing years, she wrote numerous articles on Centralian history that were published in many magazines
and newspapers. Some of her information was not always strictly correct but her work stimulated an interest in
local history. Her most epic work was an unpublished manuscript entitled ‘Heroes Unsung’.
She was a foundation member of the National Trust in the Northern Territory and was instrumental in having
the John Ross/Pioneers Memorial constructed in Alice Springs.
Adela Purvis died in Adelaide on 16 November 1972 after an operation and was cremated. Her ashes are buried
next to her husband at Atartinga.
Biographical Index of South Australians, vol IV; family information from B Purvis.
BRUCE STRONG, Vol 2.