James Fairbairn
Encyclopedia
James Valentine Fairbairn (28 July 1897 – 13 August 1940) was a pastoralist, aviator, Australia
n politician and cabinet minister
who was killed in the Canberra air disaster
.
Fairbairn was born in Wadhurst
, Sussex
, England
, second son of Charles Fairbairn, a wealthy Australian grazier and nephew of George Fairbairn. He was brought up at Banongill, near Skipton, Victoria
and educated at Geelong Grammar School
from 1908 to 1915. He then travelled to England to enlist in the Royal Flying Corps
as a flying officer
. On 14 February 1917, he was shot down and captured by the Germans
. Fourteen months later he was released in a prisoner exchange. Despite permanent injuries to his right arm, he continued to fly for the rest of his life. He returned to Australia in 1919 and took over the management of Peak Downs station, in Queensland. On 21 March 1923, he married Daisy Olive "Peggy" Forrester in Toorak
. In 1924 he bought Mount Elephant station, near Derrinallum
, in western Victoria. He was elected to the Hampden Shire Council in 1930 and subsequently became a director of the Commercial Banking Co. of Sydney
and the Union Trustee Co. of Australia Ltd. He played polo, golf, lawn tennis and squash, becoming the president of the Australian Squash Racquets Association.
as the member for Warrnambool
, representing the United Australia Party
. In 1933, he resigned his seat to contest the House of Representatives
seat of Flinders
at a by-election following the resignation of Prime Minister Stanley Bruce
. He was successful, and held the seat until his death. He regularly flew between his property and Canberra
and was recognized as an authority on aviation. He flew around Australia in 1935, and in 1936 he bought a De Havilland Dragonfly
in England and flew it back to Australia.
On 26 April 1939 he was appointed to the first Menzies Ministry
as Minister for Civil Aviation
, and Vice-President of the Executive Council
; he also assisted the Minister for Defence. On the outbreak of war in September 1939, he travelled to Canada
to help establish the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
. On 13 November 1939 he was sworn in there as the first Australian Minister for the Air
by the Governor General of Canada
, John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir.
He resigned as Vice-President of the Executive Council on 26 January 1940. On 14 March 1940 he was appointed to the second Menzies Ministry
as Minister for Civil Aviation and Minister for Air. In July 1940 he flew himself around Australia in his Dragonfly to review all RAAF stations.
On 13 August 1940, in what became known as the Canberra air disaster
, a RAAF Lockheed Hudson
flying from Melbourne to Canberra crashed during its landing approach into a small hill to the east of the airport. Four crew and six passengers, including the Chief of the General Staff and three Federal Government ministers, including Fairbairn, were killed in the accident. Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies
said in parliament, next day, He was survived by his wife, a daughter, and a son, Geoffrey Forrester (1924-1980) who lectured in history at the Australian National University
.
Fairbairn Airbase, (the eastern component of what is now known as Canberra International Airport
), was named after him in 1953. In 1962 the military side of the Airport was renamed RAAF Base Fairbairn. The RAAF base has now been decommissioned, but the North-East quadrant of the Airport still retains the Fairbairn name.
His nephew Sir David Fairbairn
was also a federal politician.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician and cabinet minister
Cabinet of Australia
The Cabinet of Australia is the council of senior ministers of the Crown, responsible to parliament. The Cabinet is appointed by the Governor-General, on the advice of the Prime Minister the Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, and serves at the former's pleasure. The strictly private...
who was killed in the Canberra air disaster
Canberra air disaster, 1940
The 1940 Canberra air disaster was a plane crash that occurred near Canberra, the capital of Australia, on 13 August 1940, during World War II. The six passengers, including three members of the Australian Cabinet and the Chief of the General Staff, and the four crew were all killed...
.
Fairbairn was born in Wadhurst
Wadhurst
Wadhurst is a market town in East Sussex, England. It is the centre of the civil parish of Wadhurst, which also includes the hamlets of Cousley Wood and Tidebrook. Wadhurst is twinned with Aubers in France.-Situation:...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, second son of Charles Fairbairn, a wealthy Australian grazier and nephew of George Fairbairn. He was brought up at Banongill, near Skipton, Victoria
Skipton, Victoria
Skipton is a town in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. The town is situated on the Glenelg Highway 166 kilometres west of the state capital, Melbourne and 52 kilometres south west of the regional centre, Ballarat. Part of Corangamite Shire Local government area, Skipton is on the banks...
and educated at Geelong Grammar School
Geelong Grammar School
Geelong Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, co-educational, boarding and day school. The school's main campus is located at Corio, on the northern outskirts of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, overlooking Corio Bay and Limeburners Bay....
from 1908 to 1915. He then travelled to England to enlist in the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
as a flying officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
. On 14 February 1917, he was shot down and captured by the Germans
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Fourteen months later he was released in a prisoner exchange. Despite permanent injuries to his right arm, he continued to fly for the rest of his life. He returned to Australia in 1919 and took over the management of Peak Downs station, in Queensland. On 21 March 1923, he married Daisy Olive "Peggy" Forrester in Toorak
Toorak, Victoria
Toorak is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district located on a rise on the south side of a bend in the Yarra River. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington...
. In 1924 he bought Mount Elephant station, near Derrinallum
Derrinallum, Victoria
Derrinallum is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Hamilton Highway, in the Corangamite Shire. The town is the centre for the surrounding farming community and lies at the foot of Mount Elephant....
, in western Victoria. He was elected to the Hampden Shire Council in 1930 and subsequently became a director of the Commercial Banking Co. of Sydney
National Australia Bank
National Australia Bank is one of the four largest financial institutions in Australia in terms of market capitalisation and customers. NAB is ranked 17th largest bank in the world measured by market capitalisation...
and the Union Trustee Co. of Australia Ltd. He played polo, golf, lawn tennis and squash, becoming the president of the Australian Squash Racquets Association.
Political career
In 1932 Fairbairn was elected to the Victorian Legislative AssemblyVictorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
as the member for Warrnambool
Electoral district of Warrnambool
The Electoral district of Warrnambool was an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly.-Members for Warrnambool:-See also:*Parliaments of the Australian states and territories*List of members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly...
, representing the United Australia Party
United Australia Party
The United Australia Party was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. It was the political successor to the Nationalist Party of Australia and predecessor to the Liberal Party of Australia...
. In 1933, he resigned his seat to contest the House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
seat of Flinders
Division of Flinders
The Division of Flinders is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election...
at a by-election following the resignation of Prime Minister Stanley Bruce
Stanley Bruce
Stanley Melbourne Bruce, 1st Viscount Bruce of Melbourne, CH, MC, FRS, PC , was an Australian politician and diplomat, and the eighth Prime Minister of Australia. He was the second Australian granted an hereditary peerage of the United Kingdom, but the first whose peerage was formally created...
. He was successful, and held the seat until his death. He regularly flew between his property and Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
and was recognized as an authority on aviation. He flew around Australia in 1935, and in 1936 he bought a De Havilland Dragonfly
De Havilland Dragonfly
-References:*The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft . London: Orbis Publishing.*Hayes, P & King, B. de Havilland biplane transports. Coulsden: Gatwick Aviation Society ISBN 0 95304132 8...
in England and flew it back to Australia.
On 26 April 1939 he was appointed to the first Menzies Ministry
First Menzies Ministry
The First Menzies Ministry was the twenty-sixth Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 26 April 1939 to 14 March 1940.United Australia Party*Rt Hon Robert Menzies, KC MP: Prime Minister, Treasurer...
as Minister for Civil Aviation
Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Infrastructure and Transport is the Hon Anthony Albanese. On 3 December 2007 he replaced the Minister for Transport and Regional Services, the Hon Mark Vaile, who held office since August 2006, and the Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads, the Hon Jim...
, and Vice-President of the Executive Council
Vice-President of the Executive Council
The Vice-President of the Federal Executive Council is a position in Australian federal governments, whose holder acts as presiding officer of the Federal Executive Council in the absence of the Governor-General....
; he also assisted the Minister for Defence. On the outbreak of war in September 1939, he travelled to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to help establish the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan , known in some countries as the Empire Air Training Scheme , was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, during the Second World War...
. On 13 November 1939 he was sworn in there as the first Australian Minister for the Air
Minister for Defence (Australia)
The Minister for Defence of Australia administers his portfolio through the Australian Defence Organisation, which comprises the Department of Defence and the Australian Defence Force. Stephen Smith is the current Minister.-Ministers for Defence:...
by the Governor General of Canada
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
, John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir.
He resigned as Vice-President of the Executive Council on 26 January 1940. On 14 March 1940 he was appointed to the second Menzies Ministry
Second Menzies Ministry
The Second Menzies Ministry was the twenty-seventh Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 14 March 1940 to 28 October 1940.United Australia Party–Australian Country Party Coalition...
as Minister for Civil Aviation and Minister for Air. In July 1940 he flew himself around Australia in his Dragonfly to review all RAAF stations.
Canberra air disaster
Canberra air disaster, 1940
The 1940 Canberra air disaster was a plane crash that occurred near Canberra, the capital of Australia, on 13 August 1940, during World War II. The six passengers, including three members of the Australian Cabinet and the Chief of the General Staff, and the four crew were all killed...
, a RAAF Lockheed Hudson
Lockheed Hudson
The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...
flying from Melbourne to Canberra crashed during its landing approach into a small hill to the east of the airport. Four crew and six passengers, including the Chief of the General Staff and three Federal Government ministers, including Fairbairn, were killed in the accident. Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies
Robert Menzies
Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
said in parliament, next day, He was survived by his wife, a daughter, and a son, Geoffrey Forrester (1924-1980) who lectured in history at the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
.
Fairbairn Airbase, (the eastern component of what is now known as Canberra International Airport
Canberra International Airport
Canberra International Airport , now trading as Canberra Airport, is the airport serving Australia's capital city, Canberra, and the city of Queanbeyan, NSW. Located at the eastern edge of North Canberra, it is the 8th busiest airport in Australia. The airport is the main hub for Brindabella Airlines...
), was named after him in 1953. In 1962 the military side of the Airport was renamed RAAF Base Fairbairn. The RAAF base has now been decommissioned, but the North-East quadrant of the Airport still retains the Fairbairn name.
His nephew Sir David Fairbairn
David Fairbairn
Sir David Eric Fairbairn KBE DFC was an Australian politician and cabinet minister.-Early life:Fairbairn was born in Claygate, Surrey, England...
was also a federal politician.