John Leslie Carrick AC KCMG (1918 - 2018)

Born 4 Sep 1918 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Ancestors

Husband of Diana Margaret (Hunter) Carrick — married 2 Jun 1951 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Died 18 May 2018 at age 99 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

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Biography

John Carrick AC KCMG is Notable.

Sir John Carrick AC KCMG (Hon)DLett FACE BEc was an Australian soldier, administrator and politician who served as a Senator for New South Wales from 1971 to 1987, representing the Liberal Party. As a minister he held several different portfolios.

Formatie years

John Carrick AC KCMG was born in New South Wales, Australia

John Leslie Carrick (birth actually registered as Leslie John) was born on 4th September 1918 in Sydney's inner eastern suburbs, New South Wales, Australia. He was the fourth of six children of Arthur Carrick and Emily Terry. ^[1] His father worked as a clerk in the Government Printing Office, but was retrenched during the Great Depression. Subsequently evicted from their large 'rambling-style' home in Woollahra, the family moved to Randwick before settling at Bondi; the children attending the local state schools. John eventually won a scholarship to the selective Sydney Technical High School. ^[2]

He obtained work with the Australian Gas Light Company (AGL) after leaving school, while attending night classes in chemistry at Sydney Technical College. He eventually was admitted to the University of Sydney, graduating with a Bachelor of Economics (BEc) in 1941. ^[2]

Military career

John Carrick AC KCMG is a Military Veteran.
Served in the Second Australian Imperial Force 1940-1945
18th Anti-Tank Battery, Royal Australian Artillery

Sir John Carrick AC KCMG was a prisoner of war in Timor, Java, Singapore and Thailand during the Second World War.

Having previously served in the Sydney University Regiment, on 12th December 1940 John was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Australian Imperial Force, his nation's all-volunteer expeditionary force for the Second World War. His next-of-kin was his mother, listed as Ellen Carrick. ^[3] He was posted to the 18th Anti-Tank Battery, which in early December 1941 was deployed to West Timor as part of Sparrow Force. When the island was overwhelmed by the Japanese Army the following February he was captured and, from July 1942 imprisoned on Java and from September in Singapore's Changi prison camp. In early 1943, he was sent to work on the Thai-Burma Railway, including at Hellfire Pass. ^[4] John subsequently learned enough Malay and Japanese to act as an interpreter. After his liberation towards the end of the war, he was briefly seconded to the staff of the Supreme Allied Commander, Lord Mountbatten, before being rehabilitated home. The war over, and won, John was demobilised on 20th November 1945. ^[3] For his war service, John was awarded the 1939-1945 Star, Pacific Star, War Medal 1939-1945 and Australia Service Medal 1939-1945.

Early administrative career

In January 1946, John began working as a research officer for the New South Wales Division of the Liberal Party. He was appointed general secretary of the Division in 1948, and would hold the position until 1971. He published a book about liberalism in 1949 titled The Liberal Way of Progress. ^[2]

John married (Diana Margaret) 'Angela' Hunter on 2nd June 1951 in Sydney's eastern suburbs. ^[5] Making their home in Killara, on Sydney's North Shore, the couple subsequently had three daughters together.

Parliamentary career

John won Liberal preselection for the 1970 half-Senate election, and was elected to a term beginning on 1st July 1971. He was a strong defender of the powers of the Senate, which he viewed as 'the only safeguard against unbridled power and arrogance'. He was appointed Minister for Housing and Construction and Minister for Urban and Regional Development in the caretaker government from November to December 1975, and then served as Minister for Education from 1975 to 1979 and Minister for National Development and Energy from 1979 to 1983. He was also Leader of the Government in the Senate from 1978 to 1983. ^[6]

In the New Year Honours 1982, John was created Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) 'in recognition of services to the Parliament of Australia'. ^[7]

John retired from parliament at the double dissolution election of 1987. ^[6]

Latter administrative career

From 1988 to 1989, John was chairman of the Committee of Review of New South Wales Schools. From 1992 to 1995 he was a member of the New South Wales Ministerial Advisory Council for Teacher Education.

From 1992 to 2001 John was a member of the Advisory Board of the Macquarie University Institute of Early Childhood. In 1998, he became chairman of the Advisory Committee, Gifted Education Research, Resource and Information Centre at the University of New South Wales.

He was awarded honorary Doctor of Letters degrees by the University of Sydney (1988) and Macquarie University (2000), and, in 1994, was appointed an Honorary Fellow of the Australian College of Educators (FACE). He was awarded the Centenary Medal in January 2001 for 'outstanding leadership and service to the community especially through education'. ^[8] That year, he was appointed chairman of the Macquarie University Institute of Early Childhood Foundation. ^[2]

Retirement

In the Australia Day Honours 2008, he was appointed Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for 'distinguished service in the area of educational reform in Australia, particularly through the advancement of early childhood education and to the development and support of new initiatives in the tertiary sector, and to the broader community'. ^[9]

Aged 99 years and having been widowed for three months, John passed away on 19th May 2018 in Sydney. ^[10] He was survived by his daughters, Diane, Joan and Fiona, five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. ^[11]

Lady Angela Carrick is noted as a selfless volunteer in the community who served as division commissioner, deputy state commissioner for New South Wales, assistant chief commissioner for Australia, and chief commissioner for Australia from 1983 to 1988 and was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1988. ^[11]

Sources

1. ↑ New South Wales Birth Index #34692/1918; registered at Paddington
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Boadle, Donald. 'CARRICK, Sir John Leslie (1918–2018)'. The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate; accessed 23 Jan 2024
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Department of Veterans' Affairs nominal roll: 279004 (NX70514) Lieutenant John Leslie Carrick; accessed 23 Jan 2024
4. ↑ POW Memorial Ballarat; accessed 23 Jan 2024
5. ↑ New South Wales Marriage Index #10126/1951; registered at Paddington, with his name listed as Leslie John Carrice
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} 'Members of the Senate since 1901'. Parliament of Australia Parliamentary Library; accessed 23 Jan 2024
7. ↑ Australian Honours: KCMG; accessed 23 Jan 2024
8. ↑ Australian Honours: Centenary Medal; accessed 23 Jan 2024
9. ↑ Australian Honours: AC; accessed 23 Jan 2024
10. ↑ Clark, Andrew. 'Prominent Liberal Party figure John Carrick dies'. Australian Financial Review, 18 May 2018; accessed 23 Jan 2024
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Fletcher, Paul. Constituency Statements Carrick, Lady Diana Margaret 'Angela', AO; accessed 23 Jan 2024

See also

• Boadle, Donald. 'CARRICK, Sir John Leslie (1918–2018)'. The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate; accessed 23 Jan 2024.
• Brennan, D Terry. 'Lieutenant Sir John Leslie Carrick 1918 - 2018'. Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company; acessed 23 Jan 2024.
• Wikipedia: John Carrick; accessed 23 Jan 2024.
• John Leslie Carrick (The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, https://www.powmemorialballarat.com.au/ : accessed 16 Mar 2024)