Gerald Colin McKellar (29 May 1903 – 13 April 1970) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Country Party and served as a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

for

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 ...

from 1958 until his death in 1970. He was

Minister for Repatriation The Minister for Veterans' Affairs is an Australian Government position. In the Government of Australia, the minister oversees income support, compensation, care and commemoration programs for more than 400,000 veterans and their widows, widowe ...

from 1964 to 1969.

Early life

McKellar was born in

Gulgong Gulgong is a 19th-century gold rush town in the Central Tablelands and the wider Central West (New South Wales), Central West regions of the Australian States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales. The town is situated within th ...

, New South Wales and educated at

Gilgandra Gilgandra is a country town in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia, and services the surrounding agricultural area where wheat is grown extensively together with other cereal crops, and sheep and beef cattle are raised. The town i ...

and became a wheat and sheep farmer in the Gilgandra area. He married Florence Emily Smith in 1926. He commanded the local militia from 1936 and was appointed a major in the

second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial strength of one ...

in September 1942. He was transferred to the reserves in April 1946. After World War II, he became an official in several farming organisations.

Political career

McKellar was elected as a Country Party

at the 1958 election. In December 1964, he was appointed

. He was obliged to implement

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

's decision to cut costs despite the strenuous opposition of the

Returned Services League The Returned and Services League of Australia, also known as RSL, RSL Australia and the RSLA, is an independent support organisation for people who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force. History The League was formed in ...

. During the Holt government, he also came under strong pressure over the VIP flights affair as he represented the Minister for Air

Peter Howson Peter Howson OBE (born 27 March 1958) is a Scottish painter. He was a British official war artist in 1993 during the Bosnian War. Early life Peter Howson was born in London of Scottish parents and moved with his family to Prestwick, Ayr ...

in the Senate. He agreed not to be appointed to the second Gorton Ministry in November 1969, on grounds of ill-health and five months later died of

coronary heart disease Coronary artery disease (CAD), also called coronary heart disease (CHD), or ischemic heart disease (IHD), is a type of cardiovascular disease, heart disease involving Ischemia, the reduction of blood flow to the cardiac muscle due to a build-up ...

, survived by his wife and three sons. The Canberra suburb of

McKellar McKellar is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Archibald McKellar (1816–1894), Canadian politician * Andrew McKellar (1910–1969), Canadian astronomer * Archie McKellar (1912–1940), Royal Air Force fighter pilot during the ...

was named after him in 1974.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McKellar, Colin National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate for New South Wales Members of the Australian Senate 1903 births 1970 deaths 20th-century Australian politicians Australian military personnel of World War II