Bruce William Graham, OBE (22 August 1919 – 18 February 1995) was an Australian politician. He was 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. For example, while the political systems ...

and served in the

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

for over 20 years, representing the

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

seats of

St George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the R ...

(1949–1954, 1955–1958) and

North Sydney North Sydney is a suburb and commercial district on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. And is the administrative centre for the local government area of North Sydney Council. History The Indigenous people on the s ...

(1966–1980).

Early life

Graham was born in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

on 22 August 1919. He was educated at

Sydney Grammar School Sydney Grammar School (SGS, colloquially known as Grammar) is an independent, non-denominational day school for boys, located in Sydney, Australia. Incorporated in 1854 by an Act of Parliament and opened in 1857, the school claims to offer "c ...

before becoming an announcer on the ABC. He played rugby union with

Eastern Suburbs RUFC Eastern Suburbs Rugby Union Football Club may refer to: * Eastern Suburbs District RUFC (NSW), est. 1900, based in Sydney, Australia * Eastern Suburbs RUFC (Canberra), est. 1938, based in Canberra, Australia * Easts Tigers Rugby Union, est. 1947, b ...

, cricket for the Waverley Cricket Club, and was a member of the Tamarama Surf Life Saving Club.

Military service

Graham enlisted in the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

(RAAF) in March 1939. He spent time with No. 22 Squadron and No. 6 Squadron based out of

RAAF Base Richmond RAAF Base Richmond is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located within the City of Hawkesbury, approximately North-West of the Sydney Central Business District in New South Wales, Australia. Situated between the towns of ...

. He joined the No. 2 Service Flying Training School at RAAF Base Forest Hill in August 1940. He was promoted

flying officer Flying officer (Fg Offr or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Flying officer is immediately ...

three months later and then made flight lieutenant in January 1942. Graham was subsequently posted to No. 1 Air Observers School in

Cootamundra Cootamundra, nicknamed Coota, is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. It is within the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the 2016 Census, Cootamundra had a population of 6,782. I ...

, No. 33 Squadron in

Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

, and No. 2 Air Ambulance Unit in

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

. In June 1942, Graham fractured his spine and both legs in an aircraft crash. He spent two years in hospital and underwent a number of operations, allowing him to return to active service. He was subsequently stationed at Parafield with No. 34 Squadron, at Uranquinty with No. 5 Service Flying Training School, at

Bundaberg Bundaberg () is the major regional city in the Wide Bay-Burnett region of the state of Queensland, Australia. It is the List of cities in Australia by population, ninth largest city in the state. The Bundaberg central business district is situa ...

with No. 88 Operational Base Unit, and finally at RAAF headquarters in Sydney. He accumulated over 1,200 hours of flying time with the RAAF. Graham's leg was amputated in May 1947, having deteriorated after initially successful surgeries. He received a medical discharge in September 1948, having attained the rank of

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr or S/L) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Squadron leader is immediatel ...

Politics

Graham was first elected to parliament at the 1949 federal election as the Liberal member for

in the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Australian Senate, Senate. Its composition and powers are set out in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. ...

. He held the seat until 1954, when he was defeated by former

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 labour ...

minister Nelson Lemmon. Graham defeated Lemmon in 1955, but was defeated again in 1958, this time by Lionel Clay. He returned to politics in 1966 when he was elected to the seat of

, a position he held until his retirement in 1980. Graham died in 1995.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Bruce Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for St George Members of the Australian House of Representatives for North Sydney Members of the Australian House of Representatives Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire 1919 births 1995 deaths Royal Australian Air Force officers Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Australian amputees People educated at Sydney Grammar School Australian politicians with disabilities Australian rugby union players Eastern Suburbs RUFC players Australian MPs 1949–1951 Australian MPs 1951–1954 Australian MPs 1955–1958 Australian MPs 1966–1969 Australian MPs 1969–1972 Australian MPs 1972–1974 Australian MPs 1974–1975 Australian MPs 1975–1977 Australian MPs 1977–1980 20th-century Australian sportsmen