Leslie Haylen
Encyclopedia
Leslie Clement "Les" Haylen (23 September 1898 – 12 September 1977), also known by the pen-name Sutton Woodfield, was an Australia
n politician, playwright, novelist and journalist.
, near Queanbeyan
, to Irish maintenance worker Thomas Haylen and Catherine, née Day. He was the youngest of twelve children; the family moved to Sydney
in 1908. Haylen was raised as a Catholic
, but later lost his faith. Among his childhood influences were his literature-loving grandfather William Henry Day, and family friend Mary Gilmore
.
Haylen enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force
on 6 July 1918 and was sent to Europe
, but his ship was recalled and he was discharged in January of the following year. Re-enlisting in June, he escorted German
prisoners from London
to Germany
in the Tras-os-Montes
. On his return to Sydney in November, he became a journalist with The Sunday Times
. On 30 April 1927 he married shop-assistant Sylvia Myrtle Rogers at Chancery Square.
based on the play was produced in 1933. Returning to Sydney in 1933, he became news editor of the Australian Women's Weekly
.
In 1942, Haylen's contract with Consolidated Press Ltd was terminated by Frank Packer
after he sought Australian Labor Party
pre-selection for the seat of Parkes
in the Australian House of Representatives
. As a result, he became editor of the official newspaper of the ALP, the Standard. His 1943 victory over Sir Charles Marr in the elections of that year was unexpected; his margin was 1020.
, and he became known for his interest in the arts, foreign affairs, and economics. In 1944 he was the publicity director for the 1944 referendum
, and in 1945 became chairman of the Commonwealth immigration advisory committee. The 1946 report of this committee formed the basis for the postwar immigration program in Australia.
Although he was overlooked for a cabinet post in 1946, he led a parliamentary delegation to Japan
in 1948, when he sparked controversy by shaking hands with Emperor Hirohito
. He also visited China
, arranging for the migration of Europe
ans from Shanghai
and (after Labor lost government in 1949) led a 1957 Labor delegation, again to China. His 1959 publication Chinese Journey expressed his support for the changes enacted by the communists in China. He was also a member of a 1963 parliamentary delegation to Southeast Asia
.
Haylen was always a supporter of his parliamentary leaders Ben Chifley
, H.V. Evatt and Arthur Calwell
, and unsuccessfully stood for the deputy-leadership of the party in 1960. He was surprisingly defeated in the 1963 elections, but continued writing. He was unsuccessful in his attempts to enter the Senate
in 1964 or to achieve pre-selection again for Parkes in 1965. His memoirs Twenty Years' Hard Labor were published in 1969, revealing Haylen's disillusionment with the ALP.
Haylen died on 12 September 1977 at Lewisham
in Sydney
, and was survived by his wife and two sons.
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...
n politician, playwright, novelist and journalist.
Early life
Haylen was born on 23 September 1898 at GundarooGundaroo, New South Wales
Gundaroo is a small village in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia and in Yass Valley Council. It is situated to the east of the Yass River, about north of Sutton, about west of the Lake George range. At the 2006 census, Gundaroo had a population of 331.The explorers Charles...
, near Queanbeyan
Queanbeyan, New South Wales
Queanbeyan is a regional centre in the Southern Tablelands in south-eastern New South Wales adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory. The city's mixed economy is based on light construction, high technology, manufacturing, service, retail and agriculture. It is the council seat of the...
, to Irish maintenance worker Thomas Haylen and Catherine, née Day. He was the youngest of twelve children; the family moved to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in 1908. Haylen was raised as a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, but later lost his faith. Among his childhood influences were his literature-loving grandfather William Henry Day, and family friend Mary Gilmore
Mary Gilmore
Dame Mary Gilmore DBE was a prominent Australian socialist poet and journalist.-Early life:Mary Jean Cameron was born on 16 August 1865 at Cotta Walla near Goulburn, New South Wales...
.
Haylen enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force
Australian Imperial Force
The Australian Imperial Force was the name given to all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.* First Australian Imperial Force * Second Australian Imperial Force...
on 6 July 1918 and was sent to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, but his ship was recalled and he was discharged in January of the following year. Re-enlisting in June, he escorted German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
prisoners from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in the Tras-os-Montes
Trás-os-Montes (region)
Trás-os-Montes was one of the 13 regions of continental Portugal identified by geographer Amorim Girão, in a study published between 1927 and 1930.Together with Alto Douro it formed Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro Province.- See also :...
. On his return to Sydney in November, he became a journalist with The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
. On 30 April 1927 he married shop-assistant Sylvia Myrtle Rogers at Chancery Square.
Journalism
The couple moved to Wagga Wagga where Haylen became chief sub-editor and leader-writer of the Daily Advertiser. His first play, the anti-war Two Minutes' Silence, was first staged in 1930; it ran in Sydney for twenty-six weeks and received positive reviews. A filmTwo Minutes Silence (1933 film)
Two Minutes Silence is a 1933 Australian melodrama set during World War I. It was the fourth and last feature film from the McDonagh sisters. It is considered a lost film.-External links:* in the Internet Movie Database...
based on the play was produced in 1933. Returning to Sydney in 1933, he became news editor of the Australian Women's Weekly
Australian Women's Weekly
The Australian Women's Weekly is an Australian monthly women's magazine published by ACP Magazines, a division of PBL Media based in Sydney. Audited circulation in 2009 exceeded 500,000 copies monthly, making it the largest magazine in Australia.-History:...
.
In 1942, Haylen's contract with Consolidated Press Ltd was terminated by Frank Packer
Frank Packer
Sir Douglas Frank Hewson Packer, KBE , was an Australian media proprietor who controlled Australian Consolidated Press and the Nine Network.-Biography:...
after he sought Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
pre-selection for the seat of Parkes
Division of Parkes (1901-69)
The Division of Parkes was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It was located in the south-west of Sydney, and originally included the suburbs of Canterbury, Burwood and Ashfield...
in the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
. As a result, he became editor of the official newspaper of the ALP, the Standard. His 1943 victory over Sir Charles Marr in the elections of that year was unexpected; his margin was 1020.
Federal politics
Haylen was a committed socialist in ParliamentParliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
, and he became known for his interest in the arts, foreign affairs, and economics. In 1944 he was the publicity director for the 1944 referendum
Australian referendum, 1944
The 1944 Australian Referendum was held on 19 August 1944. It contained one referendum question.* Post-War Reconstruction and Democratic Rights -Proposed Amendment:...
, and in 1945 became chairman of the Commonwealth immigration advisory committee. The 1946 report of this committee formed the basis for the postwar immigration program in Australia.
Although he was overlooked for a cabinet post in 1946, he led a parliamentary delegation to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1948, when he sparked controversy by shaking hands with Emperor Hirohito
Hirohito
, posthumously in Japan officially called Emperor Shōwa or , was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to...
. He also visited China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, arranging for the migration of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
ans from Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
and (after Labor lost government in 1949) led a 1957 Labor delegation, again to China. His 1959 publication Chinese Journey expressed his support for the changes enacted by the communists in China. He was also a member of a 1963 parliamentary delegation to Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
.
Haylen was always a supporter of his parliamentary leaders Ben Chifley
Ben Chifley
Joseph Benedict Chifley , Australian politician, was the 16th Prime Minister of Australia. He took over the Australian Labor Party leadership and Prime Ministership after the death of John Curtin in 1945, and went on to retain government at the 1946 election, before being defeated at the 1949...
, H.V. Evatt and Arthur Calwell
Arthur Calwell
Arthur Augustus Calwell Australian politician, was a member of the Australian House of Representatives for 32 years from 1940 to 1972, Immigration Minister in the government of Ben Chifley from 1945 to 1949 and Leader of the Australian Labor Party from 1960 to 1967.-Early life:Calwell was born in...
, and unsuccessfully stood for the deputy-leadership of the party in 1960. He was surprisingly defeated in the 1963 elections, but continued writing. He was unsuccessful in his attempts to enter the Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
in 1964 or to achieve pre-selection again for Parkes in 1965. His memoirs Twenty Years' Hard Labor were published in 1969, revealing Haylen's disillusionment with the ALP.
Haylen died on 12 September 1977 at Lewisham
Lewisham, New South Wales
Lewisham is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lewisham is located 8 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Marrickville Council. The postcode is 2049...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, and was survived by his wife and two sons.
Plays
- Two Minutes' Silence (1930)
- Change of Policy (1934)
- Freedom has a Beard (1937)
- Blood on the Wattle (1948)
- The Stormy Blast (1966)
Novels
- The Game Darrells (1933)
- The Brierley Rose (1935)
- Brown Boy Singing (1940)
- A for Artemis (1960), as Sutton Woodfield
- Big Red (1965)
Other works
- Chinese Journey (1959)
- The Tracks We Travel (1965, 1976), editor
- Twenty Years' Hard Labor (1969)