Jack Renshaw
AC | |
---|---|
31st Premier of New South Wales | |
In office 30 April 1964 – 13 May 1965 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Governor | Sir Eric Woodward |
Deputy | Pat Hills |
Preceded by | Bob Heffron |
Succeeded by | Robert Askin |
Shire President of Coonabarabran | |
In office 14 December 1939 – 15 May 1941 | |
Preceded by | William Thomas Neilson |
Succeeded by | S. H. Regan |
Councillor of the Coonabarabran Shire Council for C Riding | |
In office 4 December 1937 – 2 December 1944 | |
Personal details | |
Born | 8 August 1909 Labor Party |
John Brophy Renshaw from 30 April 1964 to 13 May 1965. He was the first New South Wales Premier born in the 20th century.
Early life
Jack Renshaw was born on 8 August 1909 near Wellington in central New South Wales. His parents were John Ignatius Renshaw and Ann Renshaw (née Reidy). When he was six his parents took up a selection near the town of Binnaway. Five years later his father died in a farm accident, leaving his widow to raise eight children. Following Ann Renshaw's remarriage the family prospered and came to own a fuel depot, stock and station agency and butchery in the town.[1]
Renshaw was educated at Binnaway Central School, Patrician Brothers at
Renshaw joined the Binnaway branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in 1930, and soon held office in the branch. He also served on the state and federal electorate councils in the area, including as President of the Gwydir Electorate Council from 1939 to 1949. He was active in local government, serving as an councillor (C Riding) in the Coonabarabran Shire Council from 1937 to 1944.[3] From 1939 to 1941 he was Shire President, becoming the youngest shire president in Australia at the time.[4][5] He resigned as Shire President in May 1941 following his election to state Parliament.[6] During the late 1930s he also held a position on the Northern Executive of the Wheat Growers' Union.[1] In 1939 he volunteered for service in World War II but was rejected due to a defect in his eyesight.[1]
Political career
Renshaw was encouraged to run for state parliament in the local seat of
Renshaw was appointed Secretary for Lands in 1950 under Premier
Impressed by his handling of the closer settlement debate, the new Premier
Premier of New South Wales
When Heffron retired in April 1964, Renshaw became Premier. This tenure proved to be no more than a stopgap for a party increasingly seen as tired and unfocused after being in office since 1941. Of the 16 members in Renshaw's cabinet, six were aged 65 years or more, and most had been in cabinet during Labor's entire quarter-century run in government.
Renshaw waited as long as he could before calling an election for
Renshaw found it difficult to connect with urban voters, and his problems in adjusting to the new pressures of television only exacerbated his electoral failings. By contrast, Askin showed substantial skill with the TV medium.At the election, Labor suffered a nine-seat swing against it. The Coalition garnered the support of two conservative independents, allowing Askin to become Premier. For the first time in 24 years, the ALP was out of office in New South Wales.
With his federal party colleagues having been in opposition since 1949, Renshaw is to date the last Labor Premier who did not encounter a Labor Prime Minister during his time in office.
Renshaw suffered a second and still more severe electoral defeat at the hands of Askin in 1968. He resigned soon after this election, and was succeeded by former Deputy Premier Pat Hills. Nevertheless, Renshaw remained an important figure both in the state parliament and in Labor's ruling circles; he served as Treasurer during the first four years (1976–80) of Neville Wran's administration. After that he was the state's Agent-General in London, holding that office till 1983.
Personal life
On 12 November 1942 Renshaw married Hilda May Wall, at St Canice's Catholic Church, Elizabeth Bay; by her he had a son. Wall died in April 1964, just weeks before Renshaw was sworn in as Premier. His second wife, whom he married on 11 April 1966 at Holy Cross Catholic Church, Woollahra, was Marjorie (Meg) Mackay née Nolan (who had four children in total: one by Renshaw, three by a previous marriage). He died at the age of 77 in 1987 in the northern Sydney suburb of Northbridge.[2]
In 2022, Catherine Renshaw, who is married to Jack Renshaw's son John, was the unsuccessful ALP candidate for the federal seat of North Sydney.[8]
Honours
- In the 1979 Australia Day Honours, Renshaw was named a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC).[9]
- John Renshaw Drive, a section of road in the Pacific Highway is named in Renshaw's honour.[10]
- Jack Renshaw Bridge across the Gilgandrais named in his honour.
References
- ^ ISBN 1-86287-549-9.
- ^ a b c "Mr John Brophy Renshaw (1909–1987)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
- ^ "COUNTRY SHIRES". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 31, 179. New South Wales, Australia. 7 December 1937. p. 9. Retrieved 10 March 2019 – via Trove.
- Mudgee Guardian and North-western Representative. New South Wales, Australia. 18 December 1939. p. 2. Retrieved 10 March 2019 – via Trove.
- Gilgandra Weekly and Castlereagh. New South Wales, Australia. 21 December 1939. p. 6. Retrieved 10 March 2019 – via Trove.
- ^ "RESIGNS POSITION". Gilgandra Weekly And Castlereagh. New South Wales, Australia. 22 May 1941. p. 3. Retrieved 10 March 2019 – via Trove.
- ^ Dutton, Geoffrey and Harris, Max (eds.), Sir Henry, Bjelke, Don-Baby and Friends (Melbourne: Sun Books, 1971), p. 163.
- ^ "North Sydney - Federal Electorate, Candidates, Results". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
- ^ "The Honourable John Brophy RENSHAW". It's An Honour. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
- ^ John Renshaw Drive Infrastructure Australia