Noel Beaton
Encyclopedia
Noel Lawrence Beaton was an Australia
n politician. Born in Mooroopna, Victoria
, he was educated at state schools and was a volunteer firefighter in his home town before serving in the military from 1945 to 1947, after which he became a sports journalist and broadcaster. In 1960, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives
as the Labor
member for Bendigo
, narrowly winning a by-election for that seat that followed the death of Percy Clarey
. During his time in Parliament he became a leading contributor on petrochemical policy, served as Shadow Minister for Primary Industries, wrote regional development into Labor policy and was a vocal opponent of the Vietnam War. For his achievements, he was widely considered a potential Minister in a Labor government. As a local MP however, Noel Beaton took greater pride in the many small victories he won for individual residents of his sprawling regional electorate. He was particularly proud of his success in helping save Bendigo's Chinese Joss House. Discovering that elderly members of the Chinese community were still using the derelict building as a place of worship, but had to do so in secret because it was on Defence Department land, he persuaded the Department to hand over the land for the benefit of the community. The Joss House was eventually restored and opened to anyone who wanted to worship there or just learn about the city's rich Chinese heritage. He retired from parliament on 9 April 1969, and never again held political office. His personal following at the time he retired from politics was such that both Labor and Liberal candidates in the resulting by-election publicly claimed to aspire to being like him. After retiring from political office, Noel Beaton returned to journalism, running the editorial side of regional daily newspaper The Bendigo Advertiser during the early 1970s. In that role, he helped to rescue the city's historic town hall from planned demolition, with a front page article that caused angry public protests. Beaton died in 2004.
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. Born in Mooroopna, Victoria
Mooroopna, Victoria
Mooroopna is a rural town located north of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is on the banks of the Goulburn River opposite the larger town of Shepparton. The Midland Highway crosses the river between the two towns...
, he was educated at state schools and was a volunteer firefighter in his home town before serving in the military from 1945 to 1947, after which he became a sports journalist and broadcaster. In 1960, he was elected to the Australian 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....
as the Labor
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...
member for Bendigo
Division of Bendigo
The Division of Bendigo is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was created in 1900 and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It is named for the city of Bendigo...
, narrowly winning a by-election for that seat that followed the death of Percy Clarey
Percy Clarey
Percy James Clarey was an Australian trade union leader and politician.-Early life:Clarey was born at Bairnsdale, Victoria, the fifth child of general agent Francis William Clarey and Jessie Littlejohn Clarey, née Lawson. The family soon moved to Melbourne, and Percy attended South Yarra State...
. During his time in Parliament he became a leading contributor on petrochemical policy, served as Shadow Minister for Primary Industries, wrote regional development into Labor policy and was a vocal opponent of the Vietnam War. For his achievements, he was widely considered a potential Minister in a Labor government. As a local MP however, Noel Beaton took greater pride in the many small victories he won for individual residents of his sprawling regional electorate. He was particularly proud of his success in helping save Bendigo's Chinese Joss House. Discovering that elderly members of the Chinese community were still using the derelict building as a place of worship, but had to do so in secret because it was on Defence Department land, he persuaded the Department to hand over the land for the benefit of the community. The Joss House was eventually restored and opened to anyone who wanted to worship there or just learn about the city's rich Chinese heritage. He retired from parliament on 9 April 1969, and never again held political office. His personal following at the time he retired from politics was such that both Labor and Liberal candidates in the resulting by-election publicly claimed to aspire to being like him. After retiring from political office, Noel Beaton returned to journalism, running the editorial side of regional daily newspaper The Bendigo Advertiser during the early 1970s. In that role, he helped to rescue the city's historic town hall from planned demolition, with a front page article that caused angry public protests. Beaton died in 2004.