Sir Reginald William Colin Swartz KBE (14 April 1911 – 2 February 2006) was an Australian Liberal Party politician who was Minister during the governments of Sir Robert Menzies, Harold Holt and

John Gorton Sir John Grey Gorton (9 September 1911 – 19 May 2002) was an Australian politician who served as the nineteenth Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1968 to 1971. He led the Liberal Party during that time, having previously been a l ...

. In particular, he is best known as the Minister for Civil Aviation between 1966 and 1969. He represented the Division of Darling Downs in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

between 1949 and 1972 and was a member of the Government for the entire length of his parliamentary service. Swartz Barracks at the Oakey Army Aviation Centre is named for him.

Early life

Swartz was born in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

in 1911 and attended Toowoomba Grammar School. He joined the 2nd AIF during World War II. Swartz was a member of the 2/26th Infantry Battalion of the Australian

8th Division 8th Division, 8th Infantry Division or 8th Armored Division may refer to: Infantry divisions * 8th Division (Australia) * 8th Canadian Infantry Division * 8th Air Division (People's Republic of China) * 8th Division (1st Formation) (People's Repu ...

in the Battle of Malaya. After capture by the Japanese, 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 ...

Changi prison Changi Prison Complex, often known simply as Changi Prison, is a prison in Changi in the eastern part of Singapore. History First prison Before Changi Prison was constructed, the only penal facility in Singapore was at Pearl's Hill, beside ...

and worked on the Burma–Thailand Railway. He was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

for his war service. In 1988, he accompanied John Howard along with two other parliamentarians who were former POWs, John Carrick and

Tom Uren Thomas Uren (28 May 1921 – 26 January 2015) was an Australian politician and Deputy Leader of the Australian Labor Party from 1975 to 1977. Uren served as the Member for Reid in the Australian House of Representatives from 1958 to 1990, bei ...

, to the opening of the Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum, commemorating the 2700 Australians who died working on the Burma-Thailand Railway.

Parliamentary career

Swartz was elected as 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 Darling Downs in 1949. As such, he was a "Forty-niner" which was the name for the Liberal and Country Party members first elected in the landslide victory by the Coalition in that year. Menzies appointed Swartz as Parliamentary Secretary for Trade in 1956. In that position, he led Trade Missions to India in 1956 and South East Asia in 1958. He was appointed as Minister for Repatriation in 1961 and served in that position before becoming

Minister for Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

from 1964 to 1966 and briefly Minister for Social Services in early 1965. Harold Holt appointed Swartz as Minister for Civil Aviation in 1966 and he served in that Ministry for three years. John Gorton appointed him as Minister for National Development in 1969 and he served in that position for three years. He was Leader of the House responsible for managing Government business in the House of Representatives from 1971 to 1972. Swartz was knighted in 1972 and retired as a parliamentarian later that year.

References

"Former Menzies Minister dies", ''Herald Sun Victoria''
3 February 2006
National Library of Australia, Papers of Sir Reginald Swartz

External links

* Articles on Sir Reginald Swartz are also on th

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swartz, Reginald 1911 births 2006 deaths World War II prisoners of war held by Japan Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Darling Downs Members of the Australian House of Representatives Leaders of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Cabinet of Australia Australian prisoners of war Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Australian politicians awarded knighthoods Australian people of German descent Burma Railway prisoners 20th-century Australian politicians People educated at Toowoomba Grammar School Australian Ministers for Health