Tom Drake-Brockman

The Honourable
Sir Tom Drake-Brockman
DFC
The Honourable Sir Tom Drake-Brockman DFC
Minister for Air
	In office; 12 November 1969 – 5 December 1972
Preceded by	Dudley Erwin
Succeeded by	Lance Barnard
Deputy President of the Senate
	In office; 15 March 1965 – 11 November 1969
Preceded by	Colin McKellar
Succeeded by	Tom Bull
	In office; 17 February 1976 – 30 June 1978
Preceded by	James Webster
Succeeded by	Douglas Scott
Senator for Western Australia
	In office; 12 August 1958 – 21 November 1958
Preceded by	Harrie Seward
Succeeded by	George Branson
	In office; 1 July 1959 – 30 June 1978
Succeeded by	Allan Rocher
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs; Minister for Administrative Services
	In office; 11 November 1975 – 22 December 1975
Preceded by	Les Johnson (Aboriginal Affairs); Fred Daly (Admin. Services)
Succeeded by	Ian Viner (Aboriginal Affairs); Reg Withers (Admin. Services)
Personal details
Born	15 May 1919; Toodyay, Western Australia
Died	28 August 1992 (aged 73); Perth, Western Australia
Political party	Australian Country Party and National Alliance
Spouse	Mary
Occupation	Air gunner, farmer, politician
Civilian awards	Knight Bachelor
Military service
Allegiance	Australia
Branch/service	Royal Australian Air Force
Years of service	1941–1945
Rank	Flight Lieutenant
Unit	No. 460 Squadron RAAF
Battles/wars	Second World War
Military awards	Distinguished Flying Cross

Sir Thomas Charles Drake-Brockman, DFC (15 May 1919 – 28 August 1992) was an Australian politician who served as a Senator for Western Australia from 1959 to 1978 and also briefly in 1958. He was a member of the National Country Party (Country Party prior to 1974). He served as Minister for Air from 1969 to 1972.^[1]

Early life and war service

Drake-Brockman was born in Toodyay, Western Australia, the son of Robert James and Rose Ita Drake-Brockman.^[2] He was educated at Guildford Grammar School. On 23 May 1942 he married Edith Sykes, with whom he had five children. During the Second World War, he joined the Royal Australian Air Force's No. 460 Squadron RAAF in 1941 as sergeant air-gunner and served in the Middle East, Malta and the United Kingdom. He was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross in September 1944. After the war he was a farmer and grazier and became vice president of the Australian Wool and Meat Producers Federation.^[3]^[4] On 9 August 1972, Drake-Brockman married his second wife, Mary McGinnity.^[2]

Parliamentary service

Drake-Brockman was appointed to a casual vacancy as a Country Party senator on 12 August 1958. His appointment expired at the 1958 election, when he was elected to the Senate, with effect from 1 July 1959. He was appointed Minister for Air in John Gorton's second ministry, as a result of Dudley Erwin's falling out of Gorton's favour. He remained minister until the defeat of the William McMahon government at the 1972 election. He was Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Minister for Administrative Services in Malcolm Fraser's caretaker government after the dismissal of the Whitlam government, but was not reappointed to Fraser's ministry after the 1975 election. He did not stand for re-election at the 1977 election and his term came to an end on 30 June 1978.^[5] To date, he is the last member of what is now the National Party to be elected to the Senate from Western Australia.

Drake-Brockman was made a Knight Bachelor in June 1979.^[6] He was survived by his wife, Mary, and four daughters and a son from his first marriage.^[7]

Notes

^ "Members of the Senate since 1901". Parliamentary Handbook. Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 1 September 2007. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
^ ^a ^b Sacks Margaret A. (ed.) The WAY 79 Who is Who: Synoptic biographies of Western Australians, Crawley Publishers, Nedlands, W.A., 1980. ISBN 0-949848-00-X
^ "Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) entry for Thomas Charles Drake-Brockman". Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 15 September 1944. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
^ Button, John (8 September 1992). "Condolence: The Hon. Sir Thomas Charles Drake-Brockman DFC". Hansard. Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
^ Ferrell, John. "Drake-Brockman, Sir Thomas Charles (1919–1992)". The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
^ "Knight Bachelor entry for Thomas Charles Drake-Brockman DFC". Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 10 June 1979. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
^ Boswell, Ron (8 September 1992). "Condolence: The Hon. Sir Thomas Charles Drake-Brockman DFC". Hansard. Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2008.

Political offices
Preceded by Dudley Erwin	Minister for Air 1969–1972	Succeeded by Lance Barnard
Preceded by Les Johnson	Minister for Aboriginal Affairs 1975	Succeeded by Ian Viner
Preceded by Fred Daly	Minister for Administrative Services 1975	Succeeded by Reg Withers
Party political offices
Preceded by Adrian Solomons	Federal President of the National Country Party 1978–1981	Succeeded by Shirley McKerrow