Invitation card to a royal function at Government House

An invitation sent by the Governor and Lady Campion to Charles C. Maley and Vera Davey inviting them to attend a reception in the Government House Ballroom on Friday 20 May 1927 in honour of Their Royal Highnesses, The Duke & Duchess of York.
Sir William Robert Campion was a British soldier, politician and Governor of Western Australia from 1924 to 1931.
As part of their 1926-27 Royal Tour, Prince Albert, Duke of York (later King George VI), and his wife Elizabeth spent six days in Western Australia.
Charles Crowther Maley was born on 28 August 1876, the ninth child of John Stephen Maley and Elizabeth Kniest, nee Waldeck. He was educated at North Greenough and then at Briggs’ School, Fremantle. On his return to Greenough he assisted his father in the running of the farm. He then worked for several years in the hotel keeping business on the eastern goldfields. Like his brothers, Charles was a top cricketer and played for the Murchison team. With his brothers Henry and Sol he formed a partnership and was allocated land at Three Springs in 1906. Charles married Sarah Teresa McKeefry (nee O’Toole) at St Lawrence’s Roman Catholic Church, Lawler on 19th January 1909. He later became sole owner of the property at Three Springs and in 1911 built a large homestead at what he named Parakalia. Eventually the property included 30,000 acres of leasehold and 23,000 acres of freehold land. Charles was a member of the Victoria District Agricultural Society, of the Royal Agricultural Society, the Farmers and Settler’s Association and the Upper Irwin Roads Board. He received his Commission of Justice of the Peace in 1912. Charles and Sarah later separated and Sarah moved to Geraldton to manage the Commonwealth Hotel. Charles went on to live in a de-facto relationship with Vera Davy. Charles was elected to Parliament as the Member for Irwin in March 1921, a position he held until his death in Perth on 15th October 1929. When moving a motion in the Legislative Assembly, expressing regret at his death, the Premier the Honourable P. Collier said, “…He was friend and benefactor to all settlers in his district, and helped many farmers…” Charles was buried in the Wesleyan section of Karrakatta Cemetery.
Little is known about Vera Davey. She was a barmaid at the Criterion Hotel, Perth, and lived at 105 Outram St., West Perth. She was named in Charles Crowther Maley’s divorce trial in 1927, which was a major scandal at that time, and widely reported in the State newspapers. Vera lived in a de facto relationship with Maley until his death in 1929.
This invitation card was donated in 2006 by Fay McKinnon, great niece of Charles Crowther Maley.