Charles Downey Hardy (12 December 1898 – 27 August 1941) was an Australian politician who served as a Senator for

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

from 1932 to 1938, representing the Country Party. He was the founder of the

Riverina Movement The State of Riverina is a proposed state of Australia, to be formed out of the current Riverina region in New South Wales. Support for separation of the Riverina from the rest of New South Wales dates back to the 19th century. Following World ...

, which advocated for the separation of his native

Riverina The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation ...

region from the state of

Early life

Born in

Wagga Wagga, New South Wales Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 56,000 as of June 2018, Wagga Wagga is the state's ...

, he was educated at

Geelong Grammar School , motto_translation = 1 Corinthians 1:30: "For us, Christ was made wisdom"( 1 Corinthians 1:30: Christ, who has been made for us in wisdom) , city = Corio, Victoria , country = Australia , coordinates = , ...

before serving in the military 1917–1919. He returned to become a manufacturer of building supplies, and was a leader of the Riverina new state movement. Active in local politics since the 1920s, Hardy founded the Riverina Movement with the support of Robert Hankinson and other Riverina business leaders. Hardy was highly critical of the Labor state government of Jack Lang, and, promoted by

Clyde Packer Robert Clyde Packer (22 July 19358 April 2001), usually known as Clyde Packer, was the son of Australian newspaper magnate Frank Packer and the elder brother of media baron Kerry Packer. From 23 April 1964 to 22 April 1976 he was a Member of ...

's press empire, Hardy travelled the state in an aeroplane making what were described as 'demagogic' speeches. Hardy openly declared himself a fascist, and in Packer's media was described as a '

Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

of the Riverina' and likened, favourably, to Benito Mussolini. Such was Hardy's appeal to country voters that he was investigated by the

Commonwealth Police The Commonwealth Police (COMPOL) was the federal law enforcement agency in Australia between 1917 and 1979. A federal police force was first established in 1917, and operated under different names and in some periods as multiple organisations. In ...

. Allegations later surfaced that Hardy may have been attempting to organise a paramilitary movement along the lines of the

New Guard The New Guard was an Australian fascist paramilitary organisation during the Great Depression. It was the largest and most successful fascist organisation in Australian history. The New Guard, known for its violent agitation against Premier o ...

, possibly preparing for a coup against the state government.

Senate

In 1931, he was elected to the

Australian Senate The Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives (Australia), House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Chapter ...

for New South Wales as a member of the Country Party, taking his seat in 1932. He did not regularly attend the Senate chamber and described it as "simply an echo of city interests that have more than their fair share of representation". In October 1935, Hardy was elected as the Country Party's Senate leader. His elevation to the position was opposed by Western Australian senators William Carroll and

Bertie Johnston Edward Bertram Johnston (11 January 1880 – 6 September 1942), known as Bertie Johnston, was the Western Australian Legislative Assembly member for Williams-Narrogin from 1911 to 1928, and a Senator from 1929 until 1942. His resignation fr ...

; Carroll had previously served as the party's ''de facto'' leader. Johnston contested the leadership ballot against Hardy, but was unsuccessful and subsequently left the party to sit as an independent. Hardy failed to win re-election at the 1937 election, with his term concluding on 30 June 1938.

Later life

Having left politics, he became a co-ordinator of works with the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

(RAAF). In May 1941, Hardy was appointed as a business liaison officer to the

Department of Air The Department of Air is a former Australian federal government department. Created on 13 November 1939 following the outbreak of the Second World War, it assumed control of the administration and finance of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF ...

, working in an honorary capacity and supervising construction expenditure. Two weeks before his death, he was seconded to the

Department of Defence Co-ordination The Department of Defence Co-ordination was an Australian government department that existed between November 1939 and April 1942. History The department was formed shortly after Australia declared war on Germany in September 19 ...

Death

Hardy and two others were killed when an

Airlines of Australia The airline industry in Australia began in the early 1920s with Western Australian Airways on the west coast, and Australian Aircraft and Engineering Company on the east coast. In 1921, Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services (QANTAS ...

charter flight crashed in

Far North Queensland Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stretches north to the Torres Strait, and west to the Gulf C ...

on 27 August 1941. The other victims were the pilot Frank Cohen and Lieutenant-Colonel Ramsay Miller, a director of works with the Australian Army. Hardy and Miller were returning from a trip to

Thursday Island Thursday Island, colloquially known as TI, or in the Kawrareg dialect, Waiben or Waibene, is an island of the Torres Strait Islands, an archipelago of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait. TI is located approximately north of Cape ...

in the

Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost extremity of the Australian mai ...

. Their

de Havilland Puss Moth The de Havilland DH.80A Puss Moth is a British three-seater high-wing monoplane aeroplane designed and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company between 1929 and 1933. It flew at a speed approaching 124 mph (200 km/h), making it o ...

was en route to Cairns when it crashed into a bank of the

Coen River The Coen River is a river located in the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. The headwaters of the river rise at the confluence of Pandanus Creek and an unnamed creek near Bend along the Peninsula Developmental Road in the Great ...

outside of the township of Coen. Eyewitnesses reported the plane veering out of control before bursting into flames in mid-air. Hardy's body was recovered some distance from the wreckage. Hardy's body was brought to Sydney and cremated at the Northern Suburbs Crematorium. A memorial service was held on 31 August at St Alban's Church, Lindfield, with Prime Minister

Arthur Fadden Sir Arthur William Fadden, (13 April 189421 April 1973) was an Australian politician who served as the 13th prime minister of Australia from 29 August to 7 October 1941. He was the leader of the Country Party from 1940 to 1958 and also served ...

in attendance.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hardy, Charles National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate for New South Wales Members of the Australian Senate 1898 births 1941 deaths 20th-century Australian politicians People educated at Geelong Grammar School People from Wagga Wagga Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1941 Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Australia Accidental deaths in Queensland Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Australian military personnel killed in World War II Australian fascists