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Douglas Walkden-Brown

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Douglas Walkden-BrownMBE
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forests
In office
1 September 1967 – May 1975
Prime MinisterKamisese Mara
Chief MinisterKamisese Mara
Preceded byKamisese Mara
Succeeded byCharles Walker
Member of the House of Representatives
In office
29 April 1972 – 19 March 1977
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byCharles Walker
ConstituencyGeneral–National
Member of the Legislative Council
In office
8 October 1966 – 15 April 1972
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byPosition abolished
ConstituencyGeneral–Central
Parliamentary Secretary for Natural Resources
In office
1966–1967Serving with Jonati Mavoa
MinisterKamisese Mara
Preceded byPosition established
Personal details
Born18 October 1921
Parkes, New South Wales, Australia
Died26 October 2013(2013-10-26) (aged 92)
Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
Political partyAlliance
Spouse Barbara Curtis ​(m. 1949)​
Alma materHawkesbury Agricultural College
Occupation
Military service
Allegiance Australia
Branch/serviceRoyal Australian Air Force
Years of service1942–1945
RankSergeant
Battles/wars

Douglas Walkden-Brown MBE (18 October 1921 – 26 October 2013) was an Australian Fijian missionary, farmer, educator, politician and diplomat. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1966 to 1977 and served as Minister for Natural Resources and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forests between 1967 and 1975, later becoming Fijian Consul in Sydney.

Biography

Brown was born in Parkes, New South Wales, Australia in 1921 to a Methodist minister. He studied at Hawkesbury Agricultural College, after which he joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during World War II. In 1947 he moved to Fiji to work as a Methodist missionary, and the following year was appointed headteacher of Navuso Agricultural School. In 1960 he retired, and bought his own farm near Nausori where he became a dairy and poulty farmer. He was awarded an MBE in the 1961 Birthday Honours for services to agriculture in Fiji. He also became involved in rugby administration, serving as President of the Rewa Rugby Union and the Fiji School Rugby Union, as well as managing the Fiji national team that toured England, France and Wales in 1964.

In 1963 he contested the elections to the Legislative Council, losing to John Kearsley in the European Southern constituency by 13 votes. Prior to the 1966 elections he joined the Alliance Party and was elected from the Central General cross-voting constituency. Following the elections, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Member for Natural Resources, Kamisese Mara. The following year he took over from Mara as Member, and later in the year became Minister for Natural Resources when full ministerial government was introduced. When Fiji became independent in 1970, he took Fijian citizenship. In 1971 his ministerial title changed to Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forests.

In the 1972 elections he was re-elected in the Eastern General national constituency, after which he retained his ministerial post. He retired from politics due to ill-health, losing his seat in the March 1977 elections. However, in 1981 he was appointed the Fijian Consul General in Sydney, a role he held until 1984.

He died in October 2013 aged 92.

Notes

  1. Formerly called the Minister for Natural Resources, formally renamed in June 1971.

References

  1. Current Notes On International Affairs. Department of External Affairs. September 1967. pp. 383–384.
  2. Nutshell, Sydney, New South Wales: Pacific Publications, 1931, ISSN 0030-8722, nla.obj-332087353 – via Trove
  3. "Commerce Briefs". Pacific Islands Monthly. May 1975. p. 77.
  4. "Fiji Missionary. To Marry Armidale Girl". Guyra Argus. John Fairfax and Sons. 17 March 1949.
  5. "BROWN, Douglas Walkden". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Archived from the original on 28 June 2024.
  6. ^ Doug Brown – a tribute Grubsheet Feejee
  7. People Pacific Islands Monthly, April 1984, p. 57
  8. Fiji's new government Pacific Islands Monthly, November 1966, p11
  9. People Pacific Islands Monthly, June 1967
  10. Nutshell Pacific Islands Monthly, June 1971, p127
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