1950 in Australia

The following lists events that happened during 1950 in Australia.

1950 in Australia
Monarch	George VI
Governor-General	William McKell
Prime minister	Robert Menzies
Population	8,178,696
Elections	NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA, TAS

← 1949 1948 1947 1950 in Australia → 1951 1952 1953
Decades:	1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s
See also:	Other events of 1950 Timeline of Australian history

Incumbents

Robert Menzies

• Monarch – George VI
• Governor-General – William McKell
• Prime Minister – Robert Menzies
• Chief Justice – Sir John Latham

State Premiers

• Premier of New South Wales – James McGirr
• Premier of Queensland – Ned Hanlon
• Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford IV
• Premier of Tasmania – Robert Cosgrove
• Premier of Victoria – Thomas Hollway (until 27 June), then John McDonald
• Premier of Western Australia – Ross McLarty

State Governors

• Governor of New South Wales – Sir John Northcott
• Governor of Queensland – Sir John Lavarack
• Governor of South Australia – Sir Charles Norrie
• Governor of Tasmania – Sir Hugh Binney
• Governor of Victoria – Sir Dallas Brooks
• Governor of Western Australia – Sir James Mitchell

Events

• 25 January – The Tank Landing Ship HMAS Tarakan explodes at Garden Island in Sydney, killing 8 people.
• 8 February – Petrol rationing ends, nearly ten years after it was introduced during World War II.
• 6 May – A state election is held in Tasmania. The result is a hung parliament, but Robert Cosgrove's Labor Party remains in power with independent support.
• 13 May – A state election is held in Victoria.
• 23 June – The Parliament of Australia passes the Communist Party Dissolution Bill, effectively banning the operation of the Communist Party of Australia.
• 26 June – Douglas DC-4 Amana crashes near Perth, Western Australia, killing 28. One passenger survived the crash.
• 26 July – The government announces that Australia will send troops to fight in the Korean War. The first Australian forces land in Korea on 17 September.
• 28 October – The Smith's Weekly newspaper, founded in 1919, is published for the last time.
• New South Wales and Queensland receive extraordinary annual rainfall.

Arts and literature

Main article: 1950 in Australian literature

• 11 December – A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute is published.

Unknown dates

• William Dargie wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Sir Leslie McConnan
• The novel Power Without Glory by Frank Hardy is published.
• The Ballet Corroboree, by John Antill, is first performed

Sport

• General
  • Australia wins 34 gold medals at the 4th British Empire Games, held in Auckland, New Zealand

• Cricket
  • New South Wales wins the Sheffield Shield
• Cycling
  • Sid Patterson wins the world amateur pursuit cycling title in Belgium
• Football
  • Brisbane Rugby League premiership: Easts defeated Wests 14-10
  • New South Wales Rugby League premiership: South Sydney defeated Western Suburbs 21-15
  • South Australian National Football League premiership: won by Norwood
  • Victorian Football League premiership: Essendon defeated North Melbourne 92-54
• Golf
  • Australian Open: won by Norman Von Nida
  • Australian PGA Championship: won by Norman Von Nida
• Horse racing
  • Grey Boots wins the Caulfield Cup
  • Alister wins the Cox Plate
  • Comic Court wins the Melbourne Cup
• Motor racing
  • The Australian Grand Prix was held at Nuriootpa and won by Doug Whiteford driving a Ford
• Tennis
  • Australian Open men's singles: Frank Sedgman defeats Ken McGregor 6-3 6-4 4-6 6-1
  • Australian Open women's singles: Louise Brough defeats Doris Hart 6-4 3-6 6-4
  • Davis Cup: Australia defeats the United States 4–1 in the 1950 Davis Cup final
  • US Open: John Bromwich and Frank Sedgman win the Men's Doubles
  • Wimbledon: John Bromwich and Adrian Quist win the Men's Doubles
• Yachting
  • Margaret Rintoul takes line honours and Nerida wins on handicap in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

Births

• 1 January – Wayne Bennett, rugby league footballer and coach
• 26 January – Barry Round, Australian rules footballer (died 2022)
• 30 January – Jack Newton, golfer (died 2022)
• 11 February – John Cobb, politician
• 14 February – Phil Dent, tennis player
• 16 February – Malcolm Blight, Australian Rules football player
• 20 February – Garry Manuel, football (soccer) player
• 1 March – Estelle Blackburn, journalist
• 11 March – Sam Kekovich, Australian Rules football player
• 18 March – Larry Perkins, ATCC/V8 Supercars racing driver
• 20 March – Warren Snowdon, politician
• 10 April – Mick Dodson, indigenous leader
• 11 April – Jim Molan, politician and army officer (died 2023)
• 13 April – Tommy Raudonikis, rugby league player and coach (died 2021)
• 15 April – Peter Cochrane, historian
• 21 April – Bruce Duperouzel, footballer and cricketer
• 29 April – Phillip Noyce, film director
• 11 May – Gary Foley, indigenous activist
• 15 May – Jim Bacon, Premier of Tasmania (2001–2004, died 2004)
• 26 May – Paul Omodei, WA politician
• 29 May – Lesley Hunt, tennis player
• 31 May – Warren Entsch, politician
• 13 June – Belinda Bauer, actress
• 13 July – Kevin McQuay, businessman (died 2005)
• 15 July
  • Colin Barnett, WA politician
  • Alan Hurst, cricketer
  • Peter Reith, politician (died 2022)
• 17 July – Nick Bolkus, politician
• 21 July – Allan Maher, football (soccer) goalkeeper
• 28 July – Jim Maxwell, cricket commentator
• 8 August – Philip Salom, poet and novelist
• 16 August – Jeff Thomson, cricketer
• 19 August – Graeme Beard, cricketer
• 6 September – Robyn Davidson, writer
• 11 September – Bruce Doull, Australian Rules football player
• 27 September – John Marsden, writer
• 14 October – Kate Grenville, novelist
• 30 October – Tim Sheens, rugby league footballer and coach
• 2 November – Graeme Murphy, choreographer
• 7 November – John Lang, rugby league footballer and coach
• 25 November – Alexis Wright, writer
• 1 December – Ross Hannaford, guitarist (Daddy Cool) (died 2016)
• 10 December – Robert Cusack, swimmer
• 12 December
  • Louis Nowra, writer and playwright
  • Judy Wajcman, sociologist
• 18 December – Gillian Armstrong, film director
• 22 December – Nick Enright, playwright, director (died 2003)

Deaths

Ted Theodore

Sir Albert Dunstan

• 2 January
  • James Dooley, 21st Premier of New South Wales (born in Ireland) (b. 1877)
  • Beaumont Smith, film director and producer (b. 1885)
• 20 January – Ray Duggan, speedway racer (b. 1913)
• 25 January – Chummy Fleming, trade unionist (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1863)
• 9 February – Ted Theodore, 20th Premier of Queensland (b. 1884)
• 23 February – Henry Willis, New South Wales politician (b. 1860)
• 19 March – Harry Wright, Australian rules footballer (Essendon) (b. 1870)
• 14 April – Sir Albert Dunstan, 33rd Premier of Victoria (b. 1882)
• 6 May – Lancelot De Mole, engineer and inventor (b. 1880)
• 15 May – Jack Hickey, Olympic rugby union and league player (b. 1887)
• 11 June – Ernest Henshaw, Western Australian politician (b. 1870)
• 20 June – Claude Jennings, cricketer (b. 1884)
• 14 July – Bill Howell, cricketer (b. 1869)
• 31 July – George Wise, Victorian politician and solicitor (b. 1853)
• 6 August – Edwin Corboy, Western Australian politician (b. 1896)
• 8 August – Sir Fergus McMaster, businessman and aviation pioneer (b. 1879)
• 3 September – Michael Durack, Western Australian politician and pastoralist (b. 1865)
• 22 September – Edward Fowell Martin, public servant and soldier (b. 1875)
• 24 September – Dame Mary Cook, 6th Spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1863)
• 6 November – Frank Brennan, Victorian politician (b. 1873)
• 20 November – Erle Cox, journalist and science fiction author (b. 1873)
• 2 December – James Fenton, Victorian politician (b. 1864)
• 29 December – Albert Lane, New South Wales politician (b. 1873)

See also

• List of Australian films of the 1950s

External links

• 1950s Australia Archived 22 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine