Norman Brookman Explained

Harry Norman Brookman (22 January 1884 – 26 April 1949) was a farmer and politician in South Australia.

History

Norman was born at Medindie, South Australia, the second son of Eliza Martha (née Marshall; 1859–1931) and George Donald Brookman (1840–1927). His father was an MLC in South Australia, while an uncle, William Gordon Brookman, was an MLC in Western Australia and Mayor of Perth.

He was a student at Roseworthy College, and during the war of 1914–1918 served in France as a gunner with the 42nd battery, 11th Brigade Field Artillery. He developed a model farm "Burbrook", near Meadows, and was involved in sheep breeding, apple growing and experimented with commercial flax growing. He was involved with the Waite Research Institute in other field trials on his property. His was vitally interested in pastures, and experimented with various grasses and clovers.

He was a councillor and chairman of the District Council of Willunga from 1924 to 1929, and was chairman of the District Council of Meadows from 1933 to 1935. He served on the Hills Firefighting and Prevention Committee.[1]

He and Jack Bice, both sons of ex-MLC knights, were Liberal and Country League candidates for the Southern district seats in the Legislative Council in 1941, and both were successful.[2] Bice retired in 1959, but Norman Brookman was killed in 1949 when the car he was driving home from Victor Harbor crashed head-on into a 4-ton truck around 2miles south of Noarlunga.[3]

Family

He married Ada Mary Dorothy "Nan" Burden (24 April 1889 – 1975) on 6 March 1912.[4] She was a daughter of Frederic Britten Burden and Ada Burden, née Hallett (– 26 March 1927), later Mrs. Thomas Duffield of Mount Lofty, and has been named "Dorothy Britten Burden".[5]

Notes and References

  1. News: Legislative Council . . 27 March 1941 . 22 November 2014 . 6 . Trove.
  2. 4036 . Norman Brookman . yes . 12 November 2022.
  3. News: M.L.C. Dies In Head-On Car Smash. . . 27 April 1949 . 22 November 2014 . 1 . Trove.
  4. News: Family Notices. . . 14 March 1912 . 1 December 2014 . 8 . Trove.
  5. News: Family Notices . . 16 March 1912 . 6 May 2017 . 42 . Trove.
  6. Web site: Statistical record of the legislature . Parliament of South Australia . https://web.archive.org/web/20190311113513/http://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/AboutParliament/From1836/Documents/StatisticalRecordoftheLegislature1836to20093.pdf . 11 March 2019 . dead .