Richard Owen Healey (7 December 192310 December 2000) was a

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 ...

politician, ABC sports broadcaster, and minister of the crown in the cabinets of Sir Robert Askin, Tom Lewis and Sir Eric Willis. From 1973 to 1975 he was Minister for Youth and Community Services, when he was made Minister for Health, which he held until the Coalition lost office in May 1976. He was a member of the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

for 19 years from 3 March 1962 until his retirement on 28 August 1981 for 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 ...

Early life

Healey was born on 7 December 1923 in

Broken Hill, New South Wales Broken Hill is an inland mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. It is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range. It is ...

, the son of Allan Richard Healey and his wife Lurline McCloskey, and was educated at

Parramatta High School , motto_translation = The torch of the mind lights the path to glory , logo = Parramatta logo.gif , established = , type = Government-funded co-educational dual modality partially aca ...

. On 20 June 1942, at age 18, he enlisted in the

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

(RAAF) as a Warrant officer in Canada and saw service in England and the Middle East with

No. 458 Squadron RAAF No. 458 Squadron RAAF was a Royal Australian Air Force squadron that operated during World War II. It was formed in Australia under Article XV of the Empire Air Training Scheme. The squadron flew various versions of Vickers Wellington bombers, ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He married Winifred Mary on 2 October 1945 in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, England, having a daughter and two sons. On his return to Australia, he was demobilised on 17 January 1946 and worked first as a radio announcer and then as a sports editor at

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

radio from 1951 to 1962. He was appointed as sports editor on ABC TV in 1956 until he entered parliament in 1962.

Political career

Healey was encouraged to enter into State politics by the then Liberal Leader

Robert Askin Sir Robert William Askin, GCMG (4 April 1907 – 9 September 1981), was an Australian politician and the 32nd Premier of New South Wales from 1965 to 1975, the first representing the Liberal Party. He was born in 1907 as Robin William Askin, but ...

and he was preselected to contest the seat of

Wakehurst Wakehurst may refer to: Places: *Electoral district of Wakehurst, electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales *Wakehurst (formerly known as Wakehurst Place), a property owned by the National Trust and m ...

, a new seat with a notional Liberal majority, at the 1962 election. He was duly elected with 51.7% of the vote and went on to hold it a further two times in 1965 and 1968. After divorcing his first wife, Healey married Doreen Robins on 8 August 1963. He soon became a member of the Coalition Government, Liberal Party under Sir Robert Askin and the Country Party under Sir Charles Cutler, which swept into Government in 1965 after almost 25 years of Labor government. Healey became heavily involved within many areas of community service, including as Chairman of the Davidson Park Trust, in which capacity he was instrument in the establishment of

Garigal National Park The Garigal National Park is a protected national park that is located within the North Shore and Forest District regions of Sydney, New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The national park is situated approximately north of the Sydney cen ...

, the vice-president of the

Royal Life Saving Society The Royal Life Saving Society UK is a drowning prevention charity founded in 1891 in the UK. It has had Royal Patronage since 1904. History The Royal Life Saving Society UK is a national charity, founded in 1891 by William Henry, with the aim of ...

, vice-president of the Manly-Warringah Scouting Association, vice-president of the New South Wales Division of the Air Force Association, chairman of the Wentworth Park Trust, the founder of the New South Wales Water Safety Council, and as state president of the New South Wales Little Athletics Association. He was a member of New South Wales Fitness Council from 1967 to 1976 and president of the Diabetics Association of New South Wales. Healey was also made a Fellow of the

Australian Institute of Management The Australian Institute of Management Education and Training Pty Ltd, commonly known as AIM or AIMET, is an Australian education provider. Its courses include business, management and leadership. AIM offers short courses, nationally accredited qu ...

(FAIM). He resigned his seat of Wakehurst on 13 January 1971 in order to contest the new and closer seat of

Davidson Davidson may refer to: * Davidson (name) * Clan Davidson, a Highland Scottish clan * Davidson Media Group * Davidson Seamount, undersea mountain southwest of Monterey, California, USA * Tyler Davidson Fountain, monument in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA * ...

. He was then elected as member for Davidson at the 1971 election with 80.2% of the vote against a single DLP candidate. He attended the official opening of The Forest High School as Member for Wakehurst on 24 October 1964, and later the official opening of Davidson High School as Member for Davidson in 1974. On 3 December 1973, Healey was appointed a Minister of the Crown as Minister for Youth and Community Services until 3 January 1975. In 1975 he took over one of the most difficult portfolios, Minister for Health, a position he held until the defeat of the Sir Eric Willis Government in 1976. He stayed on in Opposition and served as Shadow Minister for Health from 28 May 1976 to 7 October 1978 under Willis and

Peter Coleman William Peter Coleman (15 December 1928 – 31 March 2019) was an Australian writer and politician. A widely published journalist for over 60 years, he was editor of '' The Bulletin'' (1964–1967) and of '' Quadrant'' for 20 years, and publi ...

and then as Shadow Minister for Police and Services under leader John Mason. He held his seat of Davidson for a further three times in 1973, 1976 and 1978 until he retired after losing a pre-selection contest to

Terry Metherell Terry Alan Metherell (born 9 January 1947) is a former Australian politician who represented the Electoral district of Davidson in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1981 to 1992. When the Liberal Party won the 1988 election, Premi ...

on 28 August 1981.

Later life

He was an active member for the RSL and served the Forestville branch up until his death. As a member of parliament he received the

Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'argent de la reine Elizabeth II) is a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The medal is p ...

on 1 August 1977. On 5 December 2000, he was awarded the

Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...

for "Service as President of the Little Athletics Association of NSW for 30 years".Australian Sports Medal
5 December 2000, itsanhonour.gov.au
Citation: ''Served as president of LAANSW for 30 years.'' He continued to serve the community until his death three days after his 77th birthday on 10 December 2000. He was survived by his wife and his three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Healey, Dick Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Australian radio personalities Australian television presenters Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of New South Wales 1923 births 2000 deaths 20th-century Australian politicians Royal Australian Air Force airmen