David Fairbairn
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Sir David Eric Fairbairn KBE DFC (3 March 1917 – 1 June 1994) was an Australian politician and cabinet minister.
Fairbairn was born in Surrey, England. His grandfathers both served in the Parliament of Australia—Sir George Fairbairn served in the House of Representatives seat of division of Fawkner from 1906 to 1913 and in the Senate from 1917 to 1923 and Edmund Jowett was the federal member for Grampians from 1917 to 1922. His uncle, James Fairbairn, was one of three ministers in the Menzies government who were killed in the Canberra air disaster in 1940.[1]
Fairbairn was educated at Geelong Grammar School and Jesus College, Cambridge. In 1939, took control of Dunraven, a pastoral property at Woomargama, in the Riverina district of New South Wales.
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[edit] World War II
During World War II, he served in the 21st Light Horse Riverina Regiment from 1939 to 1941 and joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1941. He served both in Britain, where he located the first V-1 flying bomb launching site, and in the New Guinea campaign. In 1945 he was badly wounded and discharged with the rank of Flight Lieutenant.[1] Fairbairn had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1944.
[edit] Political career
In the 1949 election, Fairbairn was elected to the House of Representatives as the federal member for Farrer. He was appointed Minister for the Air in 1962 in the ninth Menzies Ministry. In 1964, he became Minister for National Development 1964. After the 1969 election, he challenged John Gorton unsuccessfully for the leadership and then resigned from the ministry, saying: "I have given deep thought and consideration to this decision. I have made it reluctantly. My sole concern in coming to it is the future of the Liberal Party, the Government and the Nation." According to Ian Sinclair, he was opposed to Gorton's centralism and in particular, his attempt to claim of sovereignty over Australia’s territorial waters and continental shelf for the Commonwealth.[2] Fairbairn became Minister for Education and Science in March 1971 in the McMahon Ministry and Minister for Defence from August 1971 to the government's defeat in 1972 election. He retired from Parliament at the 1975 election.[1]
From 1977 to 1980, Fairbairn was Australia's Ambassador to the Netherlands. He died in Woden Valley Hospital in Canberra, survived by his wife, Ruth and three daughters.[2][3]
[edit] Honours
Fairbairn was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross in 1945[4] and made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1977.[5]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c Howe, Brian (17 August 1982). Condolences: Fairbairn, Hon. Sir David Eric, KBE DFC. Hansard. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved on 2007-10-19.
- ^ a b Sinclair, Ian (17 August 1982). Condolences: Fairbairn, Hon. Sir David Eric, KBE DFC. Hansard. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved on 2007-10-19.
- ^ Downer, Alexander (17 August 1982). Condolences: Fairbairn, Hon. Sir David Eric, KBE DFC. Hansard. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved on 2007-10-19.
- ^ Fairbairn, David Eric. It's an Honour. Government of Australia. Retrieved on 2007-10-19.
- ^ Fairbairn, David Eric. It's an Honour. Government of Australia. Retrieved on 2007-10-19.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Leslie Bury |
Minister for the Air 1962 – 1964 |
Succeeded by Peter Howson |
| Preceded by William Spooner |
Minister for National Development 1964 – 1969 |
Succeeded by Reginald Swartz |
| Preceded by Nigel Bowen |
Minister for Education and Science 1971 |
Succeeded by Malcolm Fraser |
| Preceded by John Gorton |
Minister for Defence 1971 – 1972 |
Succeeded by Lance Barnard |
| Parliament of Australia | ||
| New division | Member for Farrer 1949 – 1975 |
Succeeded by Wal Fife |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Fairbairn, David Eric |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Australian politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 3 March 1917 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Surrey, England |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1 June 1994 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Canberra |
