Goff Letts
Encyclopedia
Dr Godfrey Alan Letts CBE
(b. 18 June 1928) was the Majority Leader
of the Northern Territory
of Australia
from 1974 to 1977.
Born in Donald, Victoria
, Letts attended Melbourne Grammar
and Melbourne
and Sydney
Universities, graduating with a Bachelor of Veterinarian Science in 1950. Letts gained employment with the Victorian Department of Agriculture and married Joyce Crosby on 29 October 1952. Together they had three sons and three daughters.
Letts moved to the Northern Territory in 1957, initially working in Alice Springs before transferring to Darwin
as the District Veterinary Officer for the Northern Region of the Northern Territory. He was appointed Director of the Animal Industry and Agriculture Branch of the Northern Territory in 1963, Chair of the Northern Territory Wildlife Council and to the Northern Territory Lands Board in 1964. Awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 1966, Letts was appointed to the Northern Territory Legislative Council
in 1967 as an official (non-elected) member representing the Department of Lands and Primary Industry before his growing disillusionment with the bureaucratic control of the Territory from Canberra
led to him resigning from these positions in 1970 to enter private industry as a vet.
A founding member of the Northern Territory branch of the Country Party
in 1966, Letts' high political profile in the Territory led him to successfully contest the Legislative Council seat of Victoria River
for the Country Party at the 1971 elections and subsequently become leader of the Country Party in the Council. Following the announcement of the creation of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
to replace the Council, Letts founded the Country Liberal Party
and led the CLP to victory at the 1974 election
, winning 17 of 19 seats and elected Majority Leader.
As Majority Leader, Letts prepared the Territory for self-government as well as administering the day-to-day running of Territory affairs, and was generally considered a capable leader. It was therefore surprising when he lost his seat at the 1977 election
, a rare occurrence of an Australian national, state or territory leader losing their own seat in an election, and which he blamed on his long absences from the electorate on Majority Leader business.
Following his departure from politics, Letts served as Chair of the Board of Inquiry into Feral Animals in the Northern Territory from 1978–79, on the Advisory Council to the CSIRO from 1979–83 and on the Uranium Advisory Council from 1979-83.
He was pre-selected by the CLP to contest the Division of Northern Territory
at the 1980 federal election
but withdrew to accept the position of CEO of the Northern Territory Conservation Commission.
Made a Trustee of the World Wildlife Fund in 1981, Letts resigned from his position at the Conservation Commission in 1983 to stand as an independent for the Alice Springs based seat of Araluen
at the 1983 Territory election
, in opposition to the CLP's attitudes towards the Commonwealth and indigenous people. Following his loss at the poll, Letts left the Territory to work in his family's newspaper business in Victoria.
Known as the “Father of self-government”, Letts was awarded a CBE in 1978 for his services to the Territory and public administration.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(b. 18 June 1928) was the Majority Leader
Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
The Chief Minister of the Northern Territory is appointed by the Administrator, who in normal circumstances will appoint the head of whatever party holds the majority of seats in the legislature of the territory...
of the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
from 1974 to 1977.
Born in Donald, Victoria
Donald, Victoria
Donald is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Richardson River, at the junction of Sunraysia Highway and Borung Highway, in the Shire of Buloke. The town is named after William Donald, a Scottish pastoralist who was the first settler in the area in 1844...
, Letts attended Melbourne Grammar
Melbourne Grammar School
Melbourne Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, located in South Yarra and Caulfield, suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
and Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
and Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
Universities, graduating with a Bachelor of Veterinarian Science in 1950. Letts gained employment with the Victorian Department of Agriculture and married Joyce Crosby on 29 October 1952. Together they had three sons and three daughters.
Letts moved to the Northern Territory in 1957, initially working in Alice Springs before transferring to Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
as the District Veterinary Officer for the Northern Region of the Northern Territory. He was appointed Director of the Animal Industry and Agriculture Branch of the Northern Territory in 1963, Chair of the Northern Territory Wildlife Council and to the Northern Territory Lands Board in 1964. Awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 1966, Letts was appointed to the Northern Territory Legislative Council
Northern Territory Legislative Council
The Northern Territory Legislative Council was the partly elected governing body of the Northern Territory of Australia from 1947 until its replacement by the fully elected Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in 1974....
in 1967 as an official (non-elected) member representing the Department of Lands and Primary Industry before his growing disillusionment with the bureaucratic control of the Territory from Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
led to him resigning from these positions in 1970 to enter private industry as a vet.
A founding member of the Northern Territory branch of the Country Party
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
in 1966, Letts' high political profile in the Territory led him to successfully contest the Legislative Council seat of Victoria River
Electoral division of Victoria River
Victoria River was an electoral division of the Legislative Assembly in Australia's Northern Territory. One of the Legislative Assembly's original electorates, it was first contested at the 1974 election, and was named after the Victoria River. It was abolished in 2001 and replaced with the new...
for the Country Party at the 1971 elections and subsequently become leader of the Country Party in the Council. Following the announcement of the creation of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory is the unicameral parliament of the Northern Territory in Australia. It sits in Parliament House, located on State Square, close to the centre of the city of Darwin.-History:...
to replace the Council, Letts founded the Country Liberal Party
Country Liberal Party
The Northern Territory Country Liberal Party is a Northern Territory political party affiliated with both the National and Liberal parties...
and led the CLP to victory at the 1974 election
Northern Territory general election, 1974
The first general election for the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly was held in the Northern Territory on Saturday 19 October 1974, and was won by the incumbent Country Liberal Party ....
, winning 17 of 19 seats and elected Majority Leader.
As Majority Leader, Letts prepared the Territory for self-government as well as administering the day-to-day running of Territory affairs, and was generally considered a capable leader. It was therefore surprising when he lost his seat at the 1977 election
Northern Territory general election, 1977
A general election was held in the Northern Territory on Saturday 13 August 1977. Though the election was won by the incumbent Country Liberal Party , the party lost five of its seven executive members, including Majority Leader Goff Letts...
, a rare occurrence of an Australian national, state or territory leader losing their own seat in an election, and which he blamed on his long absences from the electorate on Majority Leader business.
Following his departure from politics, Letts served as Chair of the Board of Inquiry into Feral Animals in the Northern Territory from 1978–79, on the Advisory Council to the CSIRO from 1979–83 and on the Uranium Advisory Council from 1979-83.
He was pre-selected by the CLP to contest the Division of Northern Territory
Division of Northern Territory
The Division of Northern Territory was an Australian Electoral Division in the Northern Territory. Throughout its existence, it was the only Division in the Territory....
at the 1980 federal election
Australian federal election, 1980
Federal elections were held in Australia on 18 October 1980. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives, and 34 of the 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia led by Malcolm Fraser with coalition partner the National Country Party led by Doug...
but withdrew to accept the position of CEO of the Northern Territory Conservation Commission.
Made a Trustee of the World Wildlife Fund in 1981, Letts resigned from his position at the Conservation Commission in 1983 to stand as an independent for the Alice Springs based seat of Araluen
Electoral division of Araluen
Araluen is an electoral division of the Legislative Assembly in Australia's Northern Territory. It was first created in 1983, replacing the electorate of Alice Springs, which had been abolished as part of the enlargement of the Assembly...
at the 1983 Territory election
Northern Territory general election, 1983
A general election was held in the Northern Territory state of Australia on Saturday December 3, 1983. The result was a landslide victory for the incumbent Country Liberal Party under Chief Minister Paul Everingham....
, in opposition to the CLP's attitudes towards the Commonwealth and indigenous people. Following his loss at the poll, Letts left the Territory to work in his family's newspaper business in Victoria.
Known as the “Father of self-government”, Letts was awarded a CBE in 1978 for his services to the Territory and public administration.