Brendan Hansen (politician)

Brendan Hansen
Brendan Hansen; OAM
Member of the Australian Parliament; for Wide Bay
	In office; 9 December 1961 – 18 May 1974
Preceded by	Henry Bandidt
Succeeded by	Clarrie Millar
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly; for Maryborough
	In office; 12 November 1977 – 22 October 1983
Preceded by	Gilbert Alison
Succeeded by	Gilbert Alison
Personal details
Born	21 August 1922; Maryborough, Queensland, Australia
Died	19 December 1999 (aged 77); Maryborough, Queensland, Australia
Resting place	Maryborough Cemetery
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Australian Labor Party
Spouse(s)	Moira O'Sullivan (m.1960)
Relations	Mary Hansen (daughter)
Occupation	Shipwright

Brendan Percival Hansen OAM (21 August 1922 – 19 December 1999) was an Australian politician. He served as Member for Wide Bay in the Federal Parliament from 1961 to 1974 and as Member for Maryborough in the Queensland Parliament from 1977 to 1983, representing the Australian Labor Party (ALP).

Early life

Brendan Percival Hansen was born on 21 August 1922 in Maryborough, Queensland, the eldest son of Percy Hansen and Mary Ann (née Rowley).[1]

His father, a shipwright by trade, had been Secretary of the Shipwrights Union in Brisbane and Maryborough, and was involved in the founding of the Queensland Council of Unions.[2]

Hansen was educated at the Granville State School and Christian Brothers College, Maryborough before becoming a shipwright and loftsman at the Walkers Limited shipyard. He joined the Labor Party in 1950 and served as Secretary of the Granville branch of the ALP.[1]

Politics

Hansen in 1972.

Hansen served as President of the Maryborough sub-branch of the Federated Shipwrights and Ship Constructors Association and as an alderman on Maryborough City Council before entering federal politics.[1] In 1958, he ran for the Australian House of Representatives as the Labor candidate for Wide Bay, losing to Country Party candidate Henry Bandidt. However, he sought a rematch against Bandidt in 1961 and won.[3] It was the first time Labor had won the seat, once held by former Labor leader Andrew Fisher, since 1915.

After the Whitlam Government was elected in 1972 he acted as government whip until 1974, when he was defeated by Country Party's Clarrie Millar.[4] Hansen ran against Millar again in 1975, but was heavily defeated. In 1977, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland as the member for Maryborough, a position he held until 1983.[1]

Death

Hansen died in 1999, aged 77, and, in January 2001, his award of the Medal of the Order of Australia was posthumously announced, with the citation "For service to the community of Maryborough, particularly through the Maryborough and District Housing Action group and the Scouting movement".[4][5] He is buried in the Maryborough Cemetery.[6]

Legacy

Hansen was honored with a park in his name in Granville and a government building, the Brendan Hansen Building, in Hervey Bay.

Family

Brendan Hansen married Moira O'Sullivan in 1960 at St Mary's Catholic Church, Maryborough. Moira Hansen is a light opera singer who still remains active in the city's arts community. They had eight children, including Mary Hansen (1966–2002), a singer/musician for the British band, Stereolab.

References

Staff (25 September 2015). "Hansen, Mr Brendan Percival". Former Members. Parliament of Queensland. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
Hansen, Brendan (22 August 1989). "Brendan Hansen interviewed by Daniel Connell for the Parliament's oral history project [sound recording]". Commonwealth Parliamentary Library (Interview). Interviewed by Daniel Connell. Maryborough. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
Carr, Adam (2008). "Australian Election Archive". Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 8 July 2009.
Truss, Warren, MP (15 February 2000). "Hansen, Mr Brendan Percival Speech" (PDF). Commonwealth of Australia House of Representatives.
"Hansen, Brendan Percival". It's an Honour. Government of Australia. 26 January 2001. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
Cemeteries Online – Fraser Coast Region Council Grave Location Search. Retrieved 10 February 2015.

Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Henry Bandidt	Member for Wide Bay 1961–1974	Succeeded by Clarrie Millar
Parliament of Queensland
Preceded by Gilbert Alison	Member for Maryborough 1977–1983	Succeeded by Gilbert Alison

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[Parliament-1] Staff (25 September 2015). "Hansen, Mr Brendan Percival". Former Members. Parliament of Queensland. Retrieved 8 May 2016.

[2] Hansen, Brendan (22 August 1989). "Brendan Hansen interviewed by Daniel Connell for the Parliament's oral history project [sound recording]". Commonwealth Parliamentary Library (Interview). Interviewed by Daniel Connell. Maryborough. Retrieved 8 May 2016.

[Psephos-3] Carr, Adam (2008). "Australian Election Archive". Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 8 July 2009.

[speech-4] Truss, Warren, MP (15 February 2000). "Hansen, Mr Brendan Percival Speech" (PDF). Commonwealth of Australia House of Representatives.

[OAM-5] "Hansen, Brendan Percival". It's an Honour. Government of Australia. 26 January 2001. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2012.

[wdrc-6] Cemeteries Online – Fraser Coast Region Council Grave Location Search. Retrieved 10 February 2015.