Michael Alastair Clarke (28 September 1915 – 11 August 2002) was an Australian politician. He was born in Sunbury to Russell Clarke and Florence Douglas Mackenzie. He attended

Melbourne Grammar School (Pray and Work) , established = 1849 (on present site since 1858 - the celebrated date of foundation) , type = Independent, co-educational primary, single-sex boys secondary, day and boarding , denomination ...

and then

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

, where he received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

. In 1938 he was called to the bar, but his career was interrupted as he joined the Australian Imperial Force at the outbreak of

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 opposing ...

. He fought in the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

and in North Africa, before being sent to Greece and Crete, where he was captured. He was a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

from 1941 to 1945, and on his return became a farmer at Clarkefield. He married Helen Rosalind Lewis on 16 September 1948; they had three daughters. In 1959 he moved to

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

. In 1964 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 ...

as a Country Party member. He served until the abolition of his seat in 1976, at which time he was defeated running for

Bendigo Province Bendigo Province was an electorate of 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 hou ...

. From 1976 to 1982 he was a member of Huntly Shire Council, serving as president from 1980 to 1981. In 1984 he moved to Toorak, where he lived in retirement until his death at Richmond in 2002.

References

1915 births 2002 deaths National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Council 20th-century Australian politicians Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian prisoners of war World War II prisoners of war held by Germany People from Sunbury, Victoria Politicians from Melbourne Military personnel from Melbourne People educated at Melbourne Grammar School Alumni of the University of Oxford {{Australia-politician-stub