1950 in Australia

See also: 1949 in Australia, other events of 1950, 1951 in Australia and the Timeline of Australian history.

Incumbents

• Monarch – King George VI
• Governor-General – William McKell
• Prime Minister – Robert Menzies

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 – Australian National Airways Skymaster VH-ANA Amana crashes near Perth, Western Australia, killing 28. One passenger survived (ANA Skymaster Amana 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

• 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

Film

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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
• 11 February – John Cobb, politician
• 14 February – Phil Dent, tennis player
• 16 February – Malcolm Blight, Australian Rules football player
• 20 February – Gary 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
• 30 March – Warren Snowdon, politician
• 10 April – Mick Dodson, indigenous leader
• 15 April – Peter Cochrane, historian
• 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
• 15 July – Colin Barnett, WA politician
• 15 July – Alan Hurst, cricketer
• 15 July – Peter Reith, politician
• 17 July – Nick Bolkus, politician
• 21 July – Allan Maher, football (soccer) goalkeeper
• 8 August – Philip Salom, poet and novelist
• 16 August – Jeff Thomson, 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)
• 10 December – Robert Cusack, swimmer
• 12 December – Louis Nowra, writer and playwright
• 18 December – Gillian Armstrong, film director
• 22 December – Nick Enright, playwright, director

Deaths

• 2 January – James Dooley (born 1877), Premier of New South Wales (1921–1922)
• 20 January – Ray Duggan (born 1913), speedway motorcycle racer
• 25 January – Chummy Fleming (born 1863), trade unionist
• 23 February – Henry Willis (born 1860), politician
• 28 February – Ted Theodore (born 1884), Premier of Queensland (1919–1925)
• 19 March – Harry Wright (born 1870), Australian rules footballer (Essendon)
• 14 April – Sir Albert Dunstan (born 1882), Premier of Victoria (1935–1943, 1943–1945)
• 6 May – Lancelot De Mole (born 1880), engineer and inventor
• 15 May – Jack Hickey (born 1887), dual-code rugby international
• 11 June – Ernest Henshaw (born 1870), WA politician
• 20 June – Claude Jennings (born 1884), cricketer
• 14 July – Bill Howell (born 1869), cricketer
• 31 July – George Wise (born 1853), politician and solicitor
• 6 August – Edwin Corboy (born 1896), politician
• 8 August – Fergus McMaster (born 1879), co-founder of Qantas
• 3 September – Michael Durack (born 1865), pastoralist and WA pioneer
• 22 September – Edward Fowell Martin (born 1875), soldier
• 24 September – Dame Mary Turner Cook (born 1863), wife of Prime Minister Sir Joseph Cook
• 6 November – Frank Brennan (born 1873), politician
• 20 November – Erle Cox (born 1873), journalist and science fiction author
• 16 December – James Fenton (born 1864), politician
• 29 December – Albert Lane (born 1873), politician

External links

• 1950s Australia