Charles William Donald Barker (14 August 1904 – 18 July 1956) was an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

politician who was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Council 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 1952 until his death, representing North Province. Barker was born in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, England, and came to Western Australia at the age of 17, working as a station hand in the North-West. He served with 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 World War II. On his return to Australia, he ran a café in Broome for a period, and then worked in

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

as a stock inspector. Barker entered parliament at the 1952 Legislative Council elections, defeating the sitting

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

member,

Mervyn Forrest Robert Mervyn Forrest (28 April 1891 – 22 August 1975) was an Australian pastoralist and politician who served as a Liberal Party member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia from 1946 to 1952, representing North Province. Early l ...

, by just five votes. He died in office in July 1956, aged 51. In parliament, he was known for his concern for Aboriginal welfare, and he and his wife (who had no children of their own) often put up visiting Aboriginal students from the North-West at their home in

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 i ...

.Late Hon. C. W. D. Barker, M.L.C. (condolence motion)
, Hansard (Legislative Council of Western Australia), 7 August 1956.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Don 1904 births 1956 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia Royal Australian Navy personnel of World War II British emigrants to Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council People from York 20th-century Australian politicians