Ross Smith (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
Ernest Ross Smith is a former Australia
n politician. He was the Liberal
member for Glen Waverley
in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
from 1985 to 2002.
Smith was born in Southport
in Queensland
to Allen and Leila Smith. He attended Fort Street Boys' High School
before studying at Balmain
Teachers' College, from which he graduated in 1956.He married Patricia Moxan and in 1965 they had their first daughter, Alexina, Around the same time a year later they had their second daughter, Jann and in 1969 they had their last child, Sarah. Patricia and Ernest had a divorce and Ernest married Sarah Spencer, Sarah Spencer was english and already had two sons, James and Richard. A few years after the marriage, despite having a 15 year age difference they had their first and only child, Harriet. In 1999 patricia died of a severe blood clot despite being in her own home. He taught at primary schools in New South Wales from 1957 to 1959 before working at the Immigration Department at Australia House
in London
in 1960. In 1961 he became a journalist, writing for the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Sun
. In 1964 he enlisted in the army
and served two tours of duty in Vietnam
, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
. In 1964 he also joined the Liberal Party
.
Smith left the army in 1984, and in 1985 was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly
as the Liberal member for the new seat of Glen Waverley
. He became Government Whip in 1996, and Opposition Whip in 1999 when the Coalition
lost government. He retired in 2002, when his seat was abolished.
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. He was the Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
member for Glen Waverley
Electoral district of Glen Waverley
Electoral district of Glen Waverley was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Victoria.-Members for Glen Waverley:...
in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
from 1985 to 2002.
Smith was born in Southport
Southport, Queensland
-Sport:The Southport Sharks Australian rules football club has a presence in the area, including a club and function centre.-Transport:The Broadwaterway is a foreshoreway that encourages pedestrians and cyclists to travel along the Broadwater foreshores of Southport.A ferry terminal is planned for...
in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
to Allen and Leila Smith. He attended Fort Street Boys' High School
Fort Street High School
Fort Street High School is a co-educational, academically selective, public high school currently located at Petersham, an inner western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
before studying at Balmain
Balmain, New South Wales
Balmain is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Balmain is located slightly west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt....
Teachers' College, from which he graduated in 1956.He married Patricia Moxan and in 1965 they had their first daughter, Alexina, Around the same time a year later they had their second daughter, Jann and in 1969 they had their last child, Sarah. Patricia and Ernest had a divorce and Ernest married Sarah Spencer, Sarah Spencer was english and already had two sons, James and Richard. A few years after the marriage, despite having a 15 year age difference they had their first and only child, Harriet. In 1999 patricia died of a severe blood clot despite being in her own home. He taught at primary schools in New South Wales from 1957 to 1959 before working at the Immigration Department at Australia House
Australia House
The High Commission of Australia in London is housed in Australia House, a building that also accommodates other Australian federal and state government agencies, including the Menzies Centre for Australian Studies, part of King's College London....
in 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...
in 1960. In 1961 he became a journalist, writing for the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Sun
The Sun News-Pictorial
The Sun News-Pictorial, commonly known as The Sun, was a morning daily tabloid newspaper in Melbourne, Australia established in 1922 and closed in 1990.It was part of The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd stable of Melbourne newspapers...
. In 1964 he enlisted in the army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
and served two tours of duty in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
. In 1964 he also joined the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
.
Smith left the army in 1984, and in 1985 was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
as the Liberal member for the new seat of Glen Waverley
Electoral district of Glen Waverley
Electoral district of Glen Waverley was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Victoria.-Members for Glen Waverley:...
. He became Government Whip in 1996, and Opposition Whip in 1999 when the Coalition
Coalition (Australia)
The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922...
lost government. He retired in 2002, when his seat was abolished.