Stuart Richard McDonald (18 April 1928 – 20 December 2017) was an Australian politician. He was born in Rochester, the son of farmer Angus McDonald. He attended

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state of Victoria. Its ...

, where he received a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

degree, and worked for the

CSIRO The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency that is responsible for scientific research and its commercial and industrial applications. CSIRO works with leading organisations arou ...

. From 1953 he farmed at Timmering East near Rochester, and became active in the Primary Producers' Union and the

Victorian Farmers' Union The Victorian Farmers' Union (VFU) was an association of farmers and primary producers formed in 1914 in the Australian state of Victoria. Although initially formed as an "absolutely non-political" entity, the VFU became a political party in 19 ...

. He was also a member of the Country Party, and 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 ...

for Northern Province in 1967. He was deputy leader of the National Party (as it had been renamed) in the Council from 1973 to 1976 and leader from 1976 to 1979. In 1979 his province was abolished, and he unsuccessfully ran for

Bendigo Province Bendigo Province was an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Council . It was created in the redistribution of provinces in June 1904, North Central Province being abolished. Bendigo Province itself was abolished in 1988. Members These w ...

. He then became state president of the National Party from 1982 to 1986 and federal president from 1987 to 1990. From 1990 to 2002 he was chairman of the Rural Finance Corporation. He died in December 2017 at the age of 89.One man’s lifetime of community service - Stuart Richard McDonald Born: 18 April 1928 Died: 17 December 2017
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Stuart 1928 births 2017 deaths National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Council