From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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 June 27), 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

• January 25 – The Tank Landing Ship HMAS Tarakan explodes at Garden Island in Sydney, killing 8 people.
• February 8 – Petrol rationing ends, nearly ten years after it was introduced during World War II.
• May 6 – 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.
• May 13 – A state election is held in Victoria.
• June 23 – The Parliament of Australia passes the Communist Party Dissolution Bill, effectively banning the operation of the Communist Party of Australia.
• June 26 – Australian National Airways Skymaster VH-ANA Amana crashes near Perth, Western Australia, killing 28. One passenger survived (ANA Skymaster Amana crash)
• July 26 – The government announces that Australia will send troops to fight in the Korean War. The first Australian forces land in Korea on September 17.
• October 28 – 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

• December 11 – 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

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

• January 1 – Wayne Bennett, rugby league coach
• February 11 – John Cobb, politician
• February 14 – Phil Dent, tennis player
• February 16 – Malcolm Blight, Australian Rules football player
• February 20 – Gary Manuel, football (soccer) player
• March 1 – Estelle Blackburn, journalist
• March 11 – Sam Kekovich, Australian Rules football player
• March 18 – Larry Perkins, ATCC/V8 Supercars racing driver
• March 30 – Warren Snowdon, politician
• April 10 – Mick Dodson, indigenous leader
• April 15 – Peter Cochrane, historian
• April 29 – Phillip Noyce, film director
• May 11 – Gary Foley, indigenous activist
• May 15 – Jim Bacon, Premier of Tasmania (2001–2004, d. 2004)
• May 26 – Paul Omodei, WA politician
• May 29 – Lesley Hunt, tennis player
• May 31 – Warren Entsch, politician
• July 15 – Colin Barnett, WA politician
• July 15 – Alan Hurst, cricketer
• July 15 – Peter Reith, politician
• July 17 – Nick Bolkus, politician
• July 21 – Allan Maher, football (soccer) goalkeeper
• August 8 – Philip Salom, poet and novelist
• August 16 – Jeff Thomson, cricketer
• September 6 – Robyn Davidson, writer
• September 11 – Bruce Doull, Australian Rules football player
• September 27 – John Marsden, writer
• October 14 – Kate Grenville, novelist
• October 30 - Tim Sheens, rugby league footballer and coach
• November 2 – Graeme Murphy, choreographer
• November 7 – John Lang, rugby league footballer and coach
• November 25 – Alexis Wright, writer
• December 1 – Ross Hannaford, guitarist (Daddy Cool)
• December 10 – Robert Cusack, swimmer
• December 12 – Louis Nowra, writer and playwright
• December 18 – Gillian Armstrong, film director
• December 22 – Nick Enright, playwright, director

Deaths

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

External links

• 1950s Australia

See also

• 1950
• 1950s