John Hugh Ackland (21 August 1890 – 29 July 1958) was an Australian politician, and a member of the

Western Australian Legislative Assembly The Western Australian Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Western Australia, an Australian state. The Parliament sits in Parliament House in the Western Australian capital, Perth. The Legisla ...

from 1947 until 1958 representing the seats of Irwin-Moore and

Moore Moore may refer to: People * Moore (surname) ** List of people with surname Moore * Moore Crosthwaite (1907–1989), a British diplomat and ambassador * Moore Disney (1765–1846), a senior officer in the British Army * Moore Powell (died c. 1573 ...

Biography

Ackland was born in

Mitcham Mitcham is an area within the London Borough of Merton in South London, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross. Originally a village in the county of Surrey, today it is mainly a residential suburb, and includes Mitcham Common. It ha ...

, a suburb of

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, to John Barnes Ackland, a warehouse manager, and Edith Ackland (née Randell). In 1896, the family moved to

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 ...

, and he was educated at state schools in

East Perth East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sunrise, Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from ...

, Claremont and Northam before attending Scotch College. He obtained work as a jackaroo for

Thomas Wilding Thomas Henry Wilding (16 March 1867 – 18 July 1954) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia from 1908 to 1914, representing East Province. Wilding was born in Northam, Western Australia ...

at Mokine in 1906–1908, and from then on farmed at family properties. In 1910, he selected land at Lake Ninan near

Wongan Hills Wongan Hills is a range of low flat-topped hills in the Avon Wheatbelt bioregion of Western Australia. It is located at , in the Shire of Wongan–Ballidu. History The range was first recorded in 1836 by Surveyor General of Western Australia Jo ...

, which became productive. During this time he became a member of the town's Board of Health, and on 21 December 1914, he married Elsie Stokes with whom he was to have two sons. With the onset of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Ackland was enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force on 16 August 1916, and served in France as a private with the 28th Battalion, although acted as a Corporal and

Lance Corporal Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer (NCO), usually equi ...

at various times. He was wounded in battle on 5 June 1918, and was on secondment to the Agent-General for Western Australia's office in London prior to discharge on 25 November 1919. After his war service, Ackland returned to Lake Ninan, and became a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

in 1922 and was elected to the Melbourne Road Board the following year. In 1927, he became its chairman, a position he would hold until 1940. He was also a member of the Royal Agricultural Show Council, was vice-president of the Wheat Section of the Primary Producers Association (associated with the Country Party) and was an early director of

Co-operative Bulk Handling The CBH Group (commonly known as CBH, an acronym for Co-operative Bulk Handling), is a grain growers' cooperative that handles, markets and processes grain from the wheatbelt of Western Australia. History CBH was formed on 5 April 1933, at a ...

. From 1940 to 1945, he served as a captain in the Volunteer Defence Corps. Shortly after his return to civilian life, Ackland contested the seat of Irwin-Moore in the

for the Country Party at the 1947 election, and won against the incumbent Independent member

Horace Berry Horace Thurston Berry (1891 – 1 September 1949) was an Australian politician who was an independent member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1939 to 1947, representing the seat of Irwin-Moore. Family Berry was born in ...

. He retained the seat three years later when it was renamed

. He served on several Select Committees, including one into the agricultural practices of Eric Fairleigh in 1951, and the uniformity of liquid fuel prices in 1956; he also became a member of the Joint House Committee in 1956. He represented the Western Australian branch at the

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organisation which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights. In 1989 the patron of the CPA was the Head of ...

at its general conference in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, in 1982. Ackland died suddenly after giving a speech at Wongan Hills Junior High School on 29 July 1958, and was cremated at Karrakatta Cemetery. He has a memorial inscription at Wongan Hills cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ackland, John 1890 births 1958 deaths Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia People educated at Scotch College, Perth Politicians from Adelaide Burials at Karrakatta Cemetery 20th-century Australian politicians Australian military personnel of World War I Australian Army soldiers Volunteer Defence Corps officers