Dick Old
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The Honourable Dick Old |
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|---|---|
| Leader of the National Country Party in Western Australia |
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In office 18 May 1975 – 30 January 1985 |
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| Deputy | Peter Jones |
| Preceded by | Ray McPharlin |
| Succeeded by | Hendy Cowan |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia |
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In office 30 March 1974 – 19 February 1983 |
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| Preceded by | Crawford Nalder |
| Succeeded by | None (seat abolished) |
| Constituency | Katanning |
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In office 19 February 1983 – 8 February 1986 |
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| Preceded by | None (new seat) |
| Succeeded by | Monty House |
| Constituency | Katanning-Roe |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
3 December 1922 Katanning, Western Australia, Australia |
| Died | 29 June 2007 (aged 84) Katanning, Western Australia, Australia |
| Political party |
National Country (to 1985) Liberal (from 1985) |
Richard Charles "Dick" Old (3 December 1922 – 29 June 2007) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1974 to 1986. He was state leader of the National Country Party (NCP) from 1975 to 1985, and served as a minister in the governments of Charles Court and Ray O'Connor.
Old was born in Katanning, Western Australia, to Vera Anne (née Cornish) and James William Old. His uncle, Cyril Cornish, was also a member of parliament. After leaving school, Old began working for Goldsbrough Mort & Co., an agricultural retailer. He enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in 1941, and during the war served on airbases in North-West Australia (including Corunna Downs Airfield) as a wireless operator. After being discharged in 1945, Old returned to Goldsbrough Mort as a manager, working for periods in Perth, Midland, Corrigin, and Moora. He managed a machinery company in Mingenew from 1953 to 1956, and then returned to Katanning to take over his father's fuel business. Old was elected to the Katanning Shire Council in 1961, and served as shire president from 1966 to 1973.
Old entered parliament at the 1974 state election, replacing Sir Crawford Nalder (a former Country Party leader) in the seat of Katanning. After the election, he was elected deputy chairman of committees in the Legislative Assembly. In May 1975, Ray McPharlin, the NCP leader, withdrew the party from its coalition with the Liberal Party over policy differences. McPharlin was subsequently replaced as leader by Old, and the coalition was resumed. Old became Minister for Agriculture in the new ministry, but was not appointed deputy premier (the traditional position for the leader of the minority party in the coalition) due to Charles Court's belief that he was too inexperienced.
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