Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1955), Saturday 30 September 1916, page 12


Obituary MR. CHAS. MOORE DIES MERCHANT AND PHILAN-THROPIST . FOUNDER OF THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL. We deeply regret to announce the death of Mr. Charles Moore, of the firm of Charles Moore and Co., who on ac-count of his extensive business connec-tions and philanthropic work, was very well known to all Perth people. Mr. Moore died suddenly last night at his home at Toorak, Melbourne. He was 58 years of age. The late Mr. Moore was born in the North of Ireland, in 1858. He came out to Australia in 1881, and settled in Ade-laide, the reason of his going there being, as he himself said, at a function a few weeks ago, because Adelaide was called the City of Churches, and that the people refused to permit orchestral music to be played there in the parks on Sunday. It was in Adelaide that he first became associated with the cloth ing trade, and he started on the bot-tom-most rung of the ladder. He was but a poor boy when he stepped on to that first rung, but he was determined to succeed, and by force of sheer hard work he was soon climbing upward.

Over 21 years ago he started business in Perth on the site at present occupied by the firm in Hay-street. At that time the firm was known as Moore and Gobbett. Later Mr. Moore purchased the old Coliseum in Hay Street, but resold it. One of his successful busi-ness ventures was the purchase of the wrecked steamer Orizaba, which came to grief off Fremantle. Some of the tables off the Orizaba are now in use, in the firm's offices in Ha -street. Mr. Moore was the owner of extensive, clothing, establishments at Adelaide and Prahran. The deceased gentleman was practi-cally the founder of the Children's Hospital. He started the movement to establish the hospital, the idea origin-ating from an incident which occurred in his store. He had a little nigger money-box for sale in the shop, and one day a child, who accompanied a customer, put a penny in the box, and could not get it out again. The child began to cry lustily for her penny and the noise attracted Mr Moore's atten-tion. When the child had been paci-fied she looked up to Mr. Moore and said, ''Leave the penny in the box for the Children's Hospital." Mr. Moore replied, "There is no Children's Hospi-tal here, but I don't see why there should not be one. If you leave the penny there I will put another one with it and we will start the Children's Hos-pital." Mr. Moore then exhibited a notice stating that he would contribute a penny for every penny that was put in the box, by the public. Hundreds of pounds were collected in this way. Some time later Mr. Moore got a com-mittee together and offered to give £1,000 and to advance any further money required towards the cost of erecting a small hospital, and to guar-antee the cost of upkeep for five years. On those lines the Children's Hospital had its beginning. The institution was opened some time later, quite free of debt and Mr. Moore was made first president. Ever afterwards he was an enthusiastic supporter of the hospital, and he provided the funds to erect the ward which bears his name.

The late Mr. Charles Moore, Merchant and Philanthropist.