Lindsay Hamilton Simpson Thompson
AO,
CMG (15 October 1923 – 16 July 2008) was an Australian
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.
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politician who served the 40th
Premier of Victoria
The premier of Victoria is the head of government in the Australian state of Victoria. The premier is appointed by the governor of Victoria, and is the leader of the political party able to secure a majority in the Victorian Legislative Assembly ...
from June 1981 to April 1982. He was previously the
Deputy Premier
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...
between 1972 and 1981.
Thompson was the longest-serving member in Victorian parliamentary history, serving a total of 27 years in the Legislative Council (1955–1970) and the Legislative Assembly (1970–1982). He had held the housing, education, police and treasury portfolios throughout his parliamentary career, and was notable for his actions in the
Faraday School kidnapping
The Faraday School kidnapping occurred on 6 October 1972 at a one-teacher school in the rural town of Faraday in Victoria, Australia, where two plasterers, Edwin John Eastwood and Robert Clyde Boland, kidnapped six female pupils and their teach ...
as education minister.
Early life
Thompson was born in
Warburton, a town north-east of
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. His parents were both schoolteachers. His father died when he was two and so he was raised by his mother in difficult circumstances.
He won a scholarship to
Caulfield Grammar School and eventually graduated as both school captain and the school dux. The school's new gymnasium was opened as the ''Lindsay Thompson Centre'' in 1997.
After service as a
signalman
A signalman is a person who historically made signals using flags and light. In modern times, the role of signalmen has evolved and now usually uses electronic communication equipment. Signalmen usually work in rail transport networks, armed for ...
in the
Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...
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 graduated from the
University of Melbourne
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 ...
with degrees in arts (honours) and education. He became a school teacher, teaching at Malvern Central Primary School and later at
Melbourne High School
Melbourne High School is a government-funded single-sex academically selective secondary day school for boys, located in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1905, the school caters for boys from Year 9 ...
.
Political career
In 1955, he was elected to the
Victorian Legislative Council
The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative C ...
in the Monash and Higginbotham Provinces as a Liberal, where he served until 1970, when he transferred to the
Legislative Assembly as MP for
Malvern
Malvern or Malverne may refer to:
Places Australia
* Malvern, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide
* Malvern, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne
* City of Malvern, a former local government area near Melbourne
* Electoral district of Malvern, an e ...
.
In 1958, Thompson was appointed Assistant Chief Secretary in the government of
Henry Bolte
Sir Henry Edward Bolte GCMG (20 May 1908 – 4 January 1990) was an Australian politician who served as the 38th Premier of Victoria. To date he is the longest-serving Victorian premier, having been in office for over 17 consecutive years.
...
. He would serve as a minister without interruption until 1982, making him the longest-serving minister in Victoria's history. Of all the federal and state ministers in Australian history, only the South Australian Sir
Thomas Playford IV
Sir Thomas Playford (5 July 1896 – 16 June 1981) was an Australian politician from the state of South Australia. He served continuously as Premier of South Australia and leader of the Liberal and Country League (LCL) from 5 November 1938 to 10 ...
, who served in cabinet without interruption from 1938 to 1965, and Queensland's
Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen (13 January 191123 April 2005), known as Joh Bjelke-Petersen, was a conservative Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, during ...
, in cabinet without interruption from 1963 to 1987, held ministerial office continuously for longer than Thompson.
Thompson then served as
Minister for Housing from 1961 to 1967, when many of Melbourne's controversial
public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...
towers were built. In 1967, he was appointed Minister for Education and held the post until 1979, a record time. He presided over the major expansion of state education in Victoria.
Faraday hero
In 1972, a teacher and six school children were
kidnapped at a school in the country town of Faraday by a man demanding a $1 million ransom. Thompson, as education minister, went to the prearranged site in Woodend and was ready to deliver the ransom personally, but the teacher and children had escaped from the van in which they were locked before that was necessary.
Thompson received a bravery award for his actions during the kidnapping.
Premier of Victoria
During the premiership of
Rupert Hamer
Sir Rupert James Hamer, (29 July 1916 – 23 March 2004), generally known until he was knighted in 1982 as Dick Hamer, was an Australian Liberal Party politician who served as the 39th Premier of Victoria from 1972 to 1981.
Early years
Hamer ...
, Thompson was named Deputy Premier. At various times, he served as Chief Secretary, then Treasurer and Minister for Police and Emergency Services. On 5 June 1981, Hamer resigned under pressure from the conservative faction of his own party, and Thompson won a Liberal Party ballot to succeed him as Premier. The Liberals had been in power for 27 years and the new
Labor
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the la ...
leader,
John Cain, was mounting a strong challenge to a government that was increasingly seen as tired and complacent.
Knowing that he faced a statutory general election within less than a year, Thompson waited as long as he could, finally calling an election for
April 1982. At that election, the Liberals were heavily defeated, suffering a 17-seat swing, the worst that a sitting non-Labor government has ever suffered in Victoria.
Thompson resigned as Liberal leader and from Parliament on 5 November.
Thompson supported keeping the
monarchy of Australia
The monarchy of Australia is Australia's form of government embodied by the Australian sovereign and head of state. The Australian monarchy is a constitutional monarchy, modelled on the Westminster system of parliamentary government, while i ...
.
Awards
Thompson was made a Companion of the
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III.
...
on 14 June 1975 for serving as a minister. He was made an Officer of the
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
on
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port ...
in 1990 "for service to government and politics and to the Victorian Parliament" and also received a
Centenary Medal in 2001.
Throughout life, Thompson was an ardent fan of the
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers, is an Australian rules football team playing in the Australian Football League (AFL). Between its inception in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond in 1885 and 1907, the club competed in the Victo ...
, and he frequently traveled to
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadiu ...
to watch his beloved Tigers play.
He was a Number One ticket holder of the club and was awarded life membership in 1993. Thompson had a long association with the Melbourne Cricket Ground and was a member of the MCG trust for 32 years from 1967 to 1999, taking on the role of chairman between 1987 and 1998. Thompson laid the first stone to mark the construction of the Great Southern Stand at the ground.
Personal life
In 1950, Thompson married Joan Poynder, and they had three children; Murray, David and Heather. Thompson's son
Murray
Murray may refer to:
Businesses
* Murray (bicycle company), an American manufacturer of low-cost bicycles
* Murrays, an Australian bus company
* Murray International Trust, a Scottish investment trust
* D. & W. Murray Limited, an Australian who ...
was a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1992 until 2018.
Legacy
Many people have commented on what an amazing, kind, but humble man he was.
At the funeral, among other kind words, former Prime Minister
John Howard
John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the ...
said, "I can honestly say I never heard anyone say a nasty thing about Lindsay Thompson, and I can tell you that has to be a first in Australian politics."
Herald Sun
/ref>
See also
* List of Caulfield Grammar School people
This is a list of notable past students and staff of Caulfield Grammar School and/or Malvern Memorial Grammar School (amalgamated with Caulfield in 1961). Alumni of the school are known as "Caulfield Grammarians" and are supported by the Caulfi ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
Chubb, P., "A Sporting Chance", ''The Age'', (Wednesday, 3 June 1981), p.11.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Lindsay
1923 births
2008 deaths
Premiers of Victoria
Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Members of the Victorian Legislative Council
Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria
Officers of the Order of Australia
Deputy Premiers of Victoria
Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
Recipients of the Centenary Medal
University of Melbourne alumni
People educated at Caulfield Grammar School
Caulfield Grammarians Football Club players
Douglas Wilkie Medal winners
Deaths from pneumonia in Victoria (Australia)
Australian people of Scottish descent
Leaders of the Opposition in Victoria (Australia)
Treasurers of Victoria
20th-century Australian politicians
People from Warburton, Victoria
Australian Army personnel of World War II
Australian Army soldiers
People from Yarra Ranges