1950 in Australia
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| 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 |
See also: 1949 in Australia, other events of 1950, 1951 in Australia and the Timeline of Australian history.
Contents |
[edit] Incumbents
- Prime Minister - Robert Menzies
- Governor General - William McKell
- Premier of New South Wales - James McGirr
- Premier of South Australia - Thomas Playford IV
- Premier of Queensland - Ned Hanlon
- Premier of Tasmania - Robert Cosgrove
- Premier of Western Australia - Ross McLarty
- Premier of Victoria - Thomas Hollway (until June 27), then John McDonald
[edit] Events
- January 25 - The Tank Landing Ship HMAS Tarakan explodes at Garden Island in Sydney, killing 8 persons.
- April 27 - The Communist Party Dissolution Bill is introduced in parliament [1]
- June 26 - Australian National Airways (ANA) Skymaster VH-ANA Amana crashes near Perth, Western Australia, killing 28. One passenger survived (ANA Skymaster Amana crash)
- September 17 - The first Australian troops land in Korea to take part in the Korean War
- The Smith's Weekly newspaper, founded in 1919, is published for the last time
- New South Wales and Queensland receive extraordinary annual rainfall
[edit] Arts and literature
- William Dargie wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Sir Leslie McConnan
- The novel, Power Without Glory, is published by Frank Hardy
- The Ballet Corroboree, by John Antill, is first performed
[edit] Film
[edit] 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
[edit] Births
- January 1 - Wayne Bennett, rugby league coach
- February 14 - Phil Dent, tennis player
- February 16 - Malcolm Blight, Australian Rules football player
- March 18 - Larry Perkins, racing driver
- May 15 - Jim Bacon (d. 2004), Premier of Tasmania
- August 16 - Jeff Thomson, cricketer
- September 11 - Bruce Doull, Australian Rules football player
- November 2 - Graeme Murphy, choreographer
- December 18 - Gillian Armstrong, film director
- December 22 - Nick Enright, playwright, director
[edit] Deaths
- January 2 - James Dooley (b. 1877), Premier of New South Wales
- February 28 - Ted Theodore (b. 1884), Premier of Queensland
