John Ingles Richardson (born 15 March 1938) is a former

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n politician. He was the

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 for Forest Hill in the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presiding ...

from 1976 to 2002. Richardson was born in

Shepparton Shepparton () ( Yortayorta: ''Kanny-goopna'') is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in northern Victoria, Australia, approximately north-northeast of Melbourne. As of the 2021 census, the estimated population of Shepparton, ...

to shopkeeper William Richardson and his wife Ethelwyn Ingles Smith. He attended public schools in

Kerang Kerang is a rural town on the Loddon River in northern Victoria in Australia. It is the commercial centre to an irrigation district based on livestock, horticulture, lucerne and grain. It is located north-west of Melbourne on the Murray V ...

before attending

Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' () by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. Set in England in the Middle Ages, this novel marked a shift away from Scott’s prior practice of setting st ...

Grammar School and finally

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

Teachers' College, from which he graduated as a primary teacher in 1957. He became a schoolteacher in Braybrook Primary School and a lecturer at Footscray Technical College, and in 1963 received a

Bachelor of Commerce A Bachelor of Commerce (abbreviated BComm or BCom; also, ''baccalaureates commercii'') is an undergraduate degree in business, usually awarded in Canada, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ireland, New Zealand, Ghana, South Africa, Myanmar, ...

from

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

. On 11 May 1963 he married Alice Mary Salmon, with whom he had two children. In 1967 he became the manager of James Bennett Booksellers and Publishers; he was also a script-writer for the children's shows ''Magic Circle Club'' and ''Adventure Island'', as well as the author of five children's books. In 1976, Richardson was elected to the

Victorian Parliament The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria that follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Victoria, the Legislative Assembly and ...

for Forest Hill as a member of 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 ...

. In 1982 he became Shadow Minister for Educational Services, but later that year was moved to Consumer Affairs, with the additional portfolio of Assistant to the Leader of the Opposition. In 1983 he moved to Ethnic Affairs, but left the front bench in 1985. In 1989 he returned as Shadow Minister for Education, moving to Community Services, Housing and Aboriginal Affairs in 1990. He left the front bench again in 1991. Richardson remained a backbencher until his retirement in 2002.

Publications

Richardson published five children's books: *''Wilfred the Wombat'' *''Gendarme the Police Horse'' *''Gendarme at Work'' *''Suey the Sheep Dog'' *''Ace the Guard Dog''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, John 1938 births Living people Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly People from Shepparton 21st-century Australian politicians People educated at Ivanhoe Grammar School