Sam Calder
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Stephen Edward (Sam) Calder (b. 10 August 1916) was a member of the Australian House of Representatives, decorated World War II flying ace and founder of one of the more successful political parties in Australia’s history.
Sam Calder was born in Melbourne and educated at Melbourne Grammar before joining the Royal Australian Air Force in 1932. Trained as a pilot, Calder flew Typhoon planes throughout World War II, completing 120 missions over Europe and receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross for his troubles.
Following the outbreak of peace in 1945, Calder returned to Australia and worked as the chief pilot for Northern Territory based airline Connellan Airways. The airline prospered as it provided a vast network of medical, passenger and mail services throughout the Northern Territory, although it would eventually collapse following a decision by then Northern Territory Chief Minister Paul Everingham, a political opponent of Calder, to give competing airline Ansett the rights to the Darwin - Alice Springs route. Not content with this, Calder also took on the challenge of managing cattle stations the size of some European countries, as he attempted to wrest a profit from the barren soil of the Australian outback.
Calder’s high profile in the Northern Territory led Country Party leader John McEwen to approach him with the proposal that Calder stand as a Country Party candidate at the forthcoming federal election. The Division of Northern Territory had long been in Labor Party hands but Calder was able to wrest the seat away, at first by only four hundred odd votes in 1966 but extending that into the thousands over the next decade and a half.
Calder played an active role in parliament, pushing for development in the Northern Territory, and could claim a hand in the construction of the Adelaide - Alice Springs train line, several new roads and the Northern Territory being granted self-government, Senate representation and the right to vote in national referenda. Following the granting of self-government, Calder founded the Country Liberal Party, which held government in the Northern Territory for over a quarter of a century.
Calder also had many ambitious plans which failed to see the light of day, including statehood for the Northern Territory and a nuclear power station in the Northern Territory, as well as a being a vocal opponent of Aboriginal Land Rights, believing that the then governing Labor Party had sold Australia to the Aboriginals.
Following his retirement from politics in 1980, Calder continued to fight the furthering of Aboriginal rights, arguing that they made Aboriginals lazy.
