Editing Arthur Fadden (section)

==Early life==
===Childhood===
Fadden was born in [[Ingham, Queensland|Ingham]], [[Queensland]], on 13 April 1894. He was the eldest of ten children – seven sons and three daughters – born to Annie (née Moorhead) and Richard John Fadden. His parents were both born in Ireland, his mother in [[County Tyrone]] and his father in [[County Galway]]. Fadden moved to [[Walkerston, Queensland|Walkerston]] at a young age, where his father was officer-in-charge of the local police station.{{sfn|Arklay|2014|p=1}} He had a "typical country childhood", but suffered the deaths of three of his younger siblings in separate accidents. Fadden received his only formal education at the Walkerston State School, except for a brief period at [[Te Kowai, Queensland|Te Kowai]] while his usual school was being renovated. His first jobs included collecting [[Dermolepida albohirtum|cane beetles]] and performing [[sound effects]] at the local cinema. Fadden left school at the age of 15 and began working as a "billy boy" (odd-job man) on a cane-cutting gang at [[Pleystowe, Queensland|Pleystowe]].{{sfn|Arklay|2014|p=2}} He later secured an indoor job as an office boy at the [[Pleystowe Sugar Mill]], where his colleagues include two future [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] MPs – [[Maurice Hynes]] and [[George Martens]].{{sfn|Arklay|2014|p=3}} In his spare time, he developed an interest in the theatre, both as a performer and treasurer of the local company.{{sfn|Arklay|2014|p=4}}

===Professional career===
In April 1913, Fadden moved to [[Mackay, Queensland|Mackay]] to become assistant [[town clerk]] of the [[City of Mackay|Mackay Town Council]]. He defeated 56 other applicants for the position.{{sfn|Arklay|2014|p=4}} In 1916, his superior, Frederick Morley, was dismissed as town clerk over allegations of theft, which Fadden himself had uncovered. Morley eventually received a two-year jail term, and Fadden was promoted in his place, again defeating more than 50 other applicants; he was reputedly the "youngest town clerk in Australia". He had attempted to enlist in the [[Australian Army]] the previous year, but was rejected on health grounds. In 1918, Fadden served on the committee of the relief fund for the [[1918 Mackay cyclone|Mackay cyclone]], which devastated the town and killed thirty people.{{sfn|Arklay|2014|p=5}} However, he resigned as town clerk in September of that year and moved to [[Townsville]] (the largest settlement in [[North Queensland]]), where he established his own accountancy firm.{{sfn|Arklay|2014|p=6}} He had qualified as an accountant through a correspondence course from a school in [[Melbourne]].{{sfn|Arklay|2014|p=4}}

According to his memoirs, Fadden initially struggled to make ends meet as an accountant, and considered relocating to [[Brisbane]]. However, he eventually found an unused loophole in the tax code that allowed him to gain a competitive advantage. His business prospered thereafter, and he was able to take on partners and opened a second office in Brisbane.{{sfn|Arklay|2014|p=6}} In 1930, Fadden was elected to the [[Townsville City Council]] as part of a non-partisan grouping calling themselves the "serviceable six". He developed a feud with the city's chief engineer, Sidney Roberts, whom he publicly criticised for using coal from [[New South Wales]] instead of from the local [[Bowen Basin]] mines. He was once again able to use his auditing skills to his advantage, getting Roberts fired for inconsistencies in his balance sheets. The resulting publicity was a springboard for his political career.{{sfn|Arklay|2014|p=7}}