1944 in Australia
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See also: 1943 in Australia, other events of 1944, 1945 in Australia and the Timeline of Australian history.
Contents |
[edit] Incumbents
- Prime Minister - John Curtin
- Governor General - Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie
- Premier of New South Wales - William McKell
- Premier of South Australia - Thomas Playford IV
- Premier of Queensland - Frank Cooper
- Premier of Tasmania - Robert Cosgrove
- Premier of Western Australia - John Willcock
- Premier of Victoria - Albert Dunstan
[edit] Events
- January 20 - 17 persons are killed at Brooklyn, New South Wales when a mail train and a bus collide at a level crossing
- April 15 - Fred Paterson is elected to the Parliament of Queensland, representing the seat of Bowen. He remains the only member of the Communist Party of Australia to ever be elected to an Australian Parliament
- August 5 - The Cowra breakout occurs, with 545 Japanese prisoners of war escaping from the camp
- October 21 - The heavy cruiser HMAS Australia, operating in the Philippines, is hit by a kamikaze aircraft, killing 20 and wounding 54, in what is believed to be the first attack of its kind
[edit] Science & Technology
[edit] Arts and literature
- Joshua Smith wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Sol Rosevear
[edit] Film
- The film of the story of The Rats of Tobruk is released, directed by Charles Chauvel
[edit] Sport
- Sirius wins the Melbourne Cup
[edit] Births
- January 18 - Paul Keating, former Prime Minister of Australia
- February 3 - Trisha Noble, singer and actress
- February 9 - Derryn Hinch, media personality
- February 10 - Peter Allen (d. 1992), entertainer
- February 17 - Robert Dessaix, writer
- March 18 - Dick Smith, businessman
- May 23 - John Newcombe, tennis player
- May 28 - Paul D. Scully-Power, oceanographer and astronaut
- June 6 - Rene Rivkin (d. 2005), businessman
- July 4 - Ray Meagher, actor
- August 21 - Peter Weir, film director
- September 2 - Ray Groom, Premier of Tasmania
- September 5 - Gareth Evans, politician
- September 19 - Colin Dibley, tennis player
- December 20 - Ray Martin, television personality
- December 27 - Bob Brown, politician
[edit] Deaths
- January 1 - Charles Turner (b. 1862), cricketer
- May 10 - Digby Denham (b. 1859), Premier of Queensland
