Michael Alastair Clarke (28 September 1915 – 11 August 2002) was an Australian politician. He was born in Sunbury to

Russell Clarke William Lionel Russell Clarke (31 March 1876 – 14 May 1954) was an Australian politician. He was born in South Yarra to grazier William John Clarke (later a baronet) and Janet Marion Snodgrass. He attended Melbourne Grammar School, Scotch ...

and Florence Douglas Mackenzie. He attended

Melbourne Grammar School Melbourne Grammar School is an Australian private school, private Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican Day school, day and boarding school. It comprises a co-educational preparatory school from Prep to Year 6 and a middle school and senior s ...

and then

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

, where he received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) 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. Those admitted to the degree have ...

. 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He fought in the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () 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 defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...

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 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 war for a ...

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. In 1964 he was elected to the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Victorian Legislative Assembly, Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House, Melbourne, Parliament ...

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. 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 Toorak () is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area. Toorak recorded a population of 12,817 at the 2021 census. The name ...

, where he lived in retirement until his death at

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

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-National-politician-stub