Albert Victor "Bert" Crane (27 January 1923 – 16 August 2003) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

from 1974 to 1989, representing the seat of Moore. He represented the

National Country Party The National Party of Australia, also known as The Nationals or The Nats, is an Australian political party. Traditionally representing graziers, farmers, and regional voters generally, it began as the Australian Country Party in 1920 at a fe ...

(NCP) until 1985, and then the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. Crane was born in

Galle Galle ( si, ගාල්ල, translit=Gālla; ta, காலி, translit=Kāli) (formerly Point de Galle) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip, from Colombo. Galle is the provincial capital and largest city of Souther ...

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

(present-day

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

), to Lavina May Victoria (née Beer) and Arthur Albert Crane. As a child, he lived in England for a period and then in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, eventually arriving in Western Australia in 1926. His parents had a property at Bindi Bindi, a small Wheatbelt town, and he attended school there before going on to Geraldton High School. In 1942, Crane enlisted in the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

. During the war, he initially served as a

signalman A signalman is a person who historically made signals using flags and light. In modern times, the role of signalmen has evolved and now usually uses electronic communication equipment. Signalmen usually work in rail transport networks, armed for ...

at Albany, but was later posted to HMAS ''Horsham''. Crane returned to Bindi Bindi after the war's end, and a few years later purchased his own farm.Albert Victor Crane
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 23 May 2016. Prominent in agricultural circles, and also a supporter of the

Australian League of Rights The Australian League of Rights is a far-right and antisemitic political organisation in Australia. It was founded in Adelaide, South Australia, by Eric Butler in 1946, and organised nationally in 1960. It inspired groups like the Canadian Leag ...

in the early 1970s,LEAGUE BLAMED FOR PARTY FALL-OUT
, ''On Target'' (Australian League of Rights), vol. 31, no. 24, June 1995. he was elected to parliament at the 1974 state election, replacing the retiring

Edgar Lewis Edgar Henry Mead Lewis (12 February 1902 – 26 April 1992) was an Australian politician who was a Country Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1958 to 1974, representing the seat of Moore. Lewis was born in Fr ...

in the seat of Moore. In August 1975, Crane was appointed deputy chairman of committees in the Legislative Assembly. In 1978, several National Country MPs had left the party to form a new group, the National Party of Western Australia. Crane remained with the National Country Party, which continued to govern in coalition with the

(under Sir

Charles Court Sir Charles Walter Michael Court, (29 September 1911 – 22 December 2007) was a Western Australian politician, and the 21st Premier of Western Australia from 1974 to 1982. He was a member of the Liberal Party. Early life Court's family e ...

and

Ray O'Connor Raymond James O'Connor (6 March 1926 – 25 February 2013) was an Australian politician who served as the premier of Western Australia from 25 January 1982 to 25 February 1983. He was a member of parliament from 1959 to 1984, and a minister in ...

) until Labor's victory at the 1983 state election. The NCP and the National Party merged in October 1984 (under the name of the latter), although the parliamentary NCP was not formally dissolved until January 1985. Its three remaining members in the Legislative Assembly, Crane,

Dick Old Richard Charles Old (3 December 1922 – 29 June 2007) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1974 to 1986. He was state leader of the National Country Party (NCP) from 1975 to 1985, ...

, and Peter Jones, refused to join the new unified party, instead joining the Liberal Party. At the 1986 state election, Crane easily won re-election as a Liberal, although Old and Jones lost their seats. He left parliament at the 1989 election, and afterward retired to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, dying there in August 2003, aged 80.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crane, Bert 1923 births 2003 deaths Australian farmers Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia People from Galle Royal Australian Navy personnel of World War II Sri Lankan emigrants to Australia Royal Australian Navy sailors 20th-century Australian politicians