1928 in Australia explained

The following lists events that happened during 1928 in Australia.

Year:	1928
Governor-General:	John Baird
Pm:	Stanley Bruce
Population:	6,302,210
Elections:	Federal, Tasmania

Incumbents

• Monarch – George V
• Governor-General – John Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven
• Prime Minister – Stanley Bruce
• Chief Justice – Adrian Knox

State premiers

• Premier of New South Wales – Thomas Bavin
• Premier of Queensland – William McCormack
• Premier of South Australia – Richard Layton Butler
• Premier of Tasmania – Joseph Lyons (until 15 June), then John McPhee
• Premier of Victoria – Edmond Hogan (until 22 November), then William McPherson
• Premier of Western Australia – Philip Collier

State governors

• Governor of New South Wales – Sir Dudley de Chair
• Governor of Queensland – Sir John Goodwin
• Governor of South Australia – Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven (from 14 May)
• Governor of Tasmania – Sir James O'Grady
• Governor of Victoria – Arthur Somers-Cocks, 6th Baron Somers
• Governor of Western Australia – Sir William Campion

Events

• 27–28 January – Bundaberg tragedy: 12 children die in Bundaberg, Queensland, after being inoculated with a diphtheria vaccine contaminated with the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium.^[1]
• 22 February – Bert Hinkler arrives in Darwin, Northern Territory after flying solo from London on 7 February, and then, later, he arrives in his hometown of Bundaberg, Queensland on 27 February.
• 17 May – The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia makes its first official flight from Cloncurry to Julia Creek
• 8 June – Charles Kingsford Smith and his crew arrive in Brisbane, Queensland, after completing the first flight across the Pacific Ocean in the "Southern Cross" after leaving the United States on 31 May.
• 14 August – The Coniston massacre begins.
• 20 December – Hubert Wilkins makes the first flight over Antarctica in his Lockheed Vega San Francisco
• The first Speedos are produced

Arts and literature

See main article: 1928 in Australian literature.

• John Longstaff wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Dr Alexander Leeper^[2]
• Arthur Streeton wins the Wynne Prize with his landscape Afternoon Light, Goulburn Valley

Film

• 29 December – The Jazz Singer becomes the first sound film screened in Australia. It premieres at the Lyceum Theatre in Sydney http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/J/JazzSinger1927.html

Sport

• 15 September - The 1928 NSWRFL season culminates in South Sydney's 26–5 victory over Eastern Suburbs in the final.
• 6 November – Statesman wins the Melbourne Cup.
• Victoria wins the Sheffield Shield
• Bobby Pearce wins Australia's only gold medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics. He won the men's 200m sculls
• The first Australian Grand Prix is held at Phillip Island^[3]

Births

• 17 January – Ken Archer, cricketer (died 2023)
• 19 January – John Treloar, track and field athlete (died 2012)
• 21 January – James Achurch, javelin thrower (died 2015)
• 29 February – Terry Lewis, police officer and convicted fraudster (died 2023)
• 14 March – June Maston, sprinter and athletics coach (died 2004)
• 2 April – Denis Flannery, rugby league footballer of the 1940s and 1950s (died 2012)
• 30 May – Pro Hart, artist (died 2006)
• June – Mike Williamson, sports commentator (died 2019)
• 3 June – Beryl Kimber, violinist and educator (died 2022)
• 12 June – Bob Davis, Australian rules footballer (died 2011)
• 15 June – Joan Croll, physician and radiologist (died 2022)
• 18 June – Michael Blakemore, actor and director (died 2023)^[4]
• 1 July – Robert Wemyss, Australian football (soccer) player
• 7 July – Henry Sommerville, fencer (died 2010)
• 17 July – David Leach, senior officer of the Royal Australian Navy (died 2020)
• 18 July – Russell Mockridge, cyclist (died 1958)
• 8 August – Don Burrows, jazz musician (died 2020)
• 12 August – Charles Blackman, painter (died 2018)
• 31 August – A. W. Pryor, physicist (died 2014)
• 8 October – Leonard French, glass artist (died 2017)
• 27 October – Thomas Perrin, cricketer
• 16 November – Patricia Giles, activist (died 2017)
• 17 November – Colin McDonald, cricketer (died 2021)^[5]
• 18 November – Bruce Rosier, Anglican bishop (died 2019)
• 30 November – Steele Hall, Premier of South Australia
• 15 December – Peter Coleman, politician and writer (died 2019)
• 26 December – Maureen Brunt, economist (died 2019)
• 27 December – Phillip Bennett, Governor of Tasmania (died 2023)
• date unknown – John Challis, gay rights activist

Deaths

• 9 February – William Gillies, 21st Premier of Queensland (b. 1868)
• 1 April – Andrew Lang Petrie, Queensland politician (b. 1854)
• 19 May – John Barrett, Victorian politician (b. 1858)
• 19 July – Norman Ewing, Tasmanian Opposition Leader (b. 1870)
• 22 October – Andrew Fisher, 5th Prime Minister of Australia (born and died in the United Kingdom) (b. 1862)
• Unknown, possibly August – Bert Rache, composer (b. unknown)

See also

• List of Australian films of the 1920s

Notes and References

1. Bundaberg's Gethsemane: the tragedy of the inoculated children. Harry. Akers. Suzette. Porter. Royal Historical Society of Queensland Journal. 20. 7. 2008. 261–278.
2. Web site: Winner: Archibald Prize 1928 - John Longstaff . artgallery.nsw.gov.au . Art Gallery of NSW . 18 August 2017.
3. Book: Conlin . Michael V. . Jolliffe . Lee . Automobile Heritage and Tourism . December 2016 . Taylor & Francis . 978-1-315-43620-3 . 140 . en.
4. Book: Current Biography Yearbook. 2001. H. W. Wilson. 38.
5. Book: Robert Coleman. Seasons in the Sun: The Story of the Victorian Cricket Association. 1993. Hargreen Publishing Company. 978-0-949905-59-8. 566.