Jack Pizzey
Encyclopedia
Jack Charles Allan Pizzey (2 February 1911 – 31 July 1968) was a Queensland
Country Party
politician. He was Premier of Queensland, in a coalition with the Liberal Party
, from 17 January 1968 until his death on 31 July that year.
in 1911 to John Thomas Pizzey and his second wife Ellen Elliott, née Brand. He was educated at Childers State School, Maryborough Central Boys' School, and Bundaberg High School. He was a student teacher at Bundaberg South State School in 1927, and taught at the Childers State School (from 1932) and Leichhardt Street State School (from 1935).
Involved in tennis
and rugby union
as a youth, Pizzey excelled in cricket
and was selected for the Queensland Colts cricket team in 1929. In 1931, he was selected to represent Queensland
in the Sheffield Shield against Victoria
, but the match was cancelled due to rain and Pizzey was unable to represent the state.
militia reserve unit as a gunner. Reaching the rank of Captain, he transferred to the Second Australian Imperial Force
where he served during World War II
in Australia as a quartermaster
in the 5th Field Regiment
until his discharge on 25 January 1945. As he was stationed in Australia, Pizzey continued his education, studying a Bachelor of Arts
(1942) at the University of Queensland
.
seat of Isis in the Queensland Legislative Assembly
.
In 1957, a split in the Australian Labor Party
's Queensland branch allowed the Country Party and the Liberal Party
to form a coalition government. With his educational background, Pizzey was appointed Minister for Education in Frank Nicklin
's cabinet, and retained this job for more than a decade. He was also deputy leader of the Country Party, but he took other concurrent roles also: he held the portfolios of migration (1960–68), Aboriginal and Islander affairs (1962–68) and police (1962–68). As education minister, Pizzey was praised for his focus on secondary schooling, although his sweeping intervention in education matters was considered to have led to Brisbane's first teachers' strike in 1968.
Nicklin retired as Premier and party leader on 17 January 1968, and Pizzey succeeded him in both posts. Just over six months after his appointment, Pizzey died suddenly, in Brisbane
, of a myocardial infarction
. He was succeeded for a week by the Leader of the Liberal Party and Deputy Premier, Sir Gordon Chalk
, until the Country Party chose its new leader, Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen
.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
Country Party
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
politician. He was Premier of Queensland, in a coalition with the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
, from 17 January 1968 until his death on 31 July that year.
Early life and sporting career
Pizzey was born in Childers, QueenslandChilders, Queensland
Childers is a town in southern Queensland, Australia, situated at the junction of the Bruce and Isis Highways. The township lies north of the state capital Brisbane and south-west of Bundaberg. Childers is located within Bundaberg Region Local Government Area. At the 2006 census, Childers had a...
in 1911 to John Thomas Pizzey and his second wife Ellen Elliott, née Brand. He was educated at Childers State School, Maryborough Central Boys' School, and Bundaberg High School. He was a student teacher at Bundaberg South State School in 1927, and taught at the Childers State School (from 1932) and Leichhardt Street State School (from 1935).
Involved in tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
as a youth, Pizzey excelled in cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and was selected for the Queensland Colts cricket team in 1929. In 1931, he was selected to represent Queensland
Queensland Bulls
The Queensland cricket team, nicknamed the Bulls, are the Brisbane-based Queensland representative cricket team in Australia's domestic cricket tournaments:*Sheffield Shield, 4-day matches with first-class status, since the 1926/27 season...
in the Sheffield Shield against Victoria
Victorian Bushrangers
The Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
, but the match was cancelled due to rain and Pizzey was unable to represent the state.
Military career
On 15 July 1940, Pizzey was mobilised in the Citizens Military ForceAustralian Army Reserve
The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen Military Forces, the Militia and, unofficially, the...
militia reserve unit as a gunner. Reaching the rank of Captain, he transferred to the Second Australian Imperial Force
Second Australian Imperial Force
The Second Australian Imperial Force was the name given to the volunteer personnel of the Australian Army in World War II. Under the Defence Act , neither the part-time Militia nor the full-time Permanent Military Force could serve outside Australia or its territories unless they volunteered to...
where he served during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in Australia as a quartermaster
Quartermaster
Quartermaster refers to two different military occupations depending on if the assigned unit is land based or naval.In land armies, especially US units, it is a term referring to either an individual soldier or a unit who specializes in distributing supplies and provisions to troops. The senior...
in the 5th Field Regiment
13th Field Battery, Royal Australian Artillery
13 Field Battery, Royal Australian Artillery was formed in New South Wales during September 1915 as the 13th Field Artillery Battery, part of 5th Field Artillery Brigade...
until his discharge on 25 January 1945. As he was stationed in Australia, Pizzey continued his education, studying a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
(1942) at the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
.
Political career
Following his discharge from the AIF, Pizzey returned to teaching, and by 1946 was involved in administration at the Queensland Board of Adult Education. He resigned from the Department of Public Instruction in 1949 and became involved in representing the interests of sugar cane farmers as manager of the Childers Cane Farmers' Co-Operative and secretary to the Isis District Cane Growers' Executive. This representative role encouraged Pizzey to run for parliament, and in 1950 he won the safe Country PartyNational Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
seat of Isis in the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
.
In 1957, a split in the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
's Queensland branch allowed the Country Party and the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
to form a coalition government. With his educational background, Pizzey was appointed Minister for Education in Frank Nicklin
Frank Nicklin
Sir George Francis Reuben Nicklin, KCMG, MM was Premier of the Australian state of Queensland from 1957 to 1968, and the first Country Party Premier since 1932.-Early life and career:...
's cabinet, and retained this job for more than a decade. He was also deputy leader of the Country Party, but he took other concurrent roles also: he held the portfolios of migration (1960–68), Aboriginal and Islander affairs (1962–68) and police (1962–68). As education minister, Pizzey was praised for his focus on secondary schooling, although his sweeping intervention in education matters was considered to have led to Brisbane's first teachers' strike in 1968.
Nicklin retired as Premier and party leader on 17 January 1968, and Pizzey succeeded him in both posts. Just over six months after his appointment, Pizzey died suddenly, in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, of a myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. He was succeeded for a week by the Leader of the Liberal Party and Deputy Premier, Sir Gordon Chalk
Gordon Chalk
Sir Gordon William Wesley Chalk, KBE was Premier of Queensland for a week, from 1 to 8 August 1968. He was the first, and only, Queensland Premier from the modern Liberal Party of Australia....
, until the Country Party chose its new leader, Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Sir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG , was an Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, a period that saw considerable economic development in the state...
.