1939 in Australia explained
The following lists events that happened during 1939 in Australia.
Incumbents
State Premiers
State Governors
Events
- 13 January – The bushfires of Black Friday kill 70 people in Victoria.
- 27 March – The first CAC Wirraway training aircraft, A20-3, takes to the air at Fishermans Bend, Victoria.
- 7 April – Prime Minister Joseph Lyons dies of a sudden heart attack, the first Prime Minister to die in office. Sir Earle Page, the leader of the Country Party is appointed caretaker Prime Minister until the United Australia Party can elect a new leader.
- 26 April – Robert Menzies is elected leader of the United Australia Party, and is sworn in as Prime Minister.
- 10 June – Premier of Tasmania Albert Ogilvie dies in office. Edmund Dwyer-Gray acts as Premier until he is officially elected as leader of the Labor Party in Tasmania on 6 July.
- 3 September – World War II begins. Australia declares war on Germany, following the United Kingdom and British Dominions' declaration of same, after the German invasion of Poland.
- 15 September – Robert Menzies announces a new War Cabinet.
- 1 December – Australia agrees to take 15,000 Jewish refugees fleeing Europe, following the German occupation of Austria and Czechoslovakia.
- 18 December – Edmund Dwyer-Gray steps aside as Premier of Tasmania, by prior arrangement with Robert Cosgrove to assume the premiership.
Arts and literature
See main article: 1939 in Australian literature.
Sport
Births
January
- 3 January – Janice Crosio, New South Wales politician
- 4 January – J. S. Harry, poet (d. 2015)
- 6 January
- 10 January – Jill Kitson, radio broadcaster and literary journalist (d. 2013)
- 12 January – John Gregg, actor (d. 2021)
- 15 January – Ken Doolan, rear admiral and author
- 20 January – Paul Braddy, 28th Deputy Premier of Queensland
- 23 January – Peter Richardson, Western Australian politician
- 29 January – Germaine Greer, academic and feminist
- 30 January – Dale Baker, 34th South Australian Leader of the Opposition (d. 2012)
- 31 January – Paddy Guinane, Australian rules footballer (Richmond) (d. 2019)
February
- 1 February – John Haslem, Australian Capitol Territory politician
- 5 February – Ian Norman, businessman and retail executive (d. 2014)
- 7 February
- 11 February – Gary Hooper, Paralympian athlete
- 12 February – Nita Cunningham, Queensland politician (d. 2015)
- 13 February – Andrew Peacock, 22nd Federal Leader of the Opposition (d. 2021)
- 16 February – Peter Heerey, Federal Court judge (d. 2021)
- 19 February – Beatrice Faust, co-founder of Women's Electoral Lobby and author (d. 2019)
- 23 February – Elaine Lee, actress (born in South Africa) (d. 2014)
- 25 February – Gerald Murnane, writer
- 27 February – Harry Roberts, rugby union player
- 28 February – Ron Leeson, Western Australian politician
March
April
May
June
- 1 June – Ernie Tuck, mathematician (d. 2009)
- 3 June – Colin Youren, Australian rules footballer (Hawthorn) (d. 2015)
- 4 June – Elaine Schreiber, Paralympian athlete (d. 2017)
- 5 June – Ron Baensch, racing cyclist (d. 2017)
- 6 June – John Oswald, South Australian politician
- 10 June
- 20 June – Rodger Head, Australian rules footballer (St Kilda) (d. 2012)
- 21 June
- 22 June – Paul Winkler, film director (born in Germany)
- 23 June – David Hannay, film producer (born in New Zealand) (d. 2014)
- 24 June – Annette Andre, actress
- 25 June
- 27 June – Neil Hawke, test cricketer and Australian rules footballer (Port Adelaide) (d. 2000)
- 29 June – Alan Connolly, cricketer
July
August
September
- 3 September – John Langmore, Australian Capitol Territory politician
- 4 September – Richard Lewis, Western Australian politician (d. 2019)
- 5 September – George Lazenby, actor
- 7 September – John McGrath, Victorian politician (d. 2021)
- 8 September – Lew Mander, organic chemist (born in New Zealand) (d. 2020)
- 9 September
- 10 September – Mike Dancis, basketball player (born in Latvia) (d. 2020)
- 13 September – Kevin Rozzoli, New South Wales politician
- 15 September – Ron Walker, businessman, former Lord Mayor of Melbourne (d. 2018)
- 18 September – Gerry Harvey, entrepreneur
- 19 September – Jim Lisle, rugby union and rugby league player (d. 2003)
- 24 September – Tony Messner, South Australian politician and former Administrator of Norfolk Island
October
- 1 October – Philip Cox, architect
- 3 October – Dave Barsley, rugby league player (d. 2021)
- 4 October – Ivan Mauger, motorcycle speedway racer (born in New Zealand) (d. 2018)
- 5 October – Scott Ashenden, South Australian politician
- 7 October – Clive James, writer and broadcaster (d. 2019)
- 8 October
- 9 October – John Pilger, journalist and filmmaker (d. 2023)
- 12 October – Michael Clyne, linguist, academic, and intellectual (d. 2010)
- 25 October – Terry Gill, actor (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 2015)
- 26 October
- 27 October – Hurtle Lupton, Victorian politician
November
December
Deaths
- 14 February – James Webb, New South Wales politician (b. 1887)
- 9 March – Edwin Greenslade Murphy, journalist and poet (b. 1866)
- 11 March – William Miller, athlete (born in the United Kingdom and died in the United States) (b. 1846)
- 7 April – Joseph Lyons, 10th Prime Minister of Australia and 26th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1879)
- 25 April – Sir Charles Powers, High Court judge (b. 1853)
- 18 May – Francis Clarke, New South Wales politician (b. 1857)
- 10 June – Albert Ogilvie, 28th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1890)
- 13 June – Arthur Coningham, cricketer (b. 1863)
- 6 August – James MacCallum Smith, Western Australian politician (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1868)
- 11 August – Margaret Windeyer, librarian and feminist (b. 1866)
- 30 August – Edward Sydney Simpson, mineralogist and geochemist (b. 1875)
- 3 October – Henry Augustus Ellis, physician and federalist (born in Ireland and died in the United Kingdom) (b. 1861)
- 22 October – Sir Langdon Bonython, South Australian politician and journalist (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1848)
- 15 November – William Hill, Victorian politician (b. 1866)
- 6 December – Sir Ernest Scott, historian (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1867)
See also
Notes and References
- Web site: Hart . P. R. . Lloyd . C. J. . Lyons, Joseph Aloysius (Joe) (1879–1939) . Australian Dictionary of Biography . National Centre of Biography, Australian National University . 10 October 2018.
