Jack Pizzey

Jack Charles Allan Pizzey (2 February 1911 – 31 July 1968) was a Queensland Country Party politician. He was Premier of Queensland, in a coalition with the Liberal Party, from 17 January 1968 until his death on 31 July that year. To date, he is the most recent premier of an Australian state to die in office.

Early life and sporting career Pizzey was born in Childers, Queensland in 1911 to John Thomas Pizzey and his second wife Ellen Elliott (née Brand). He was educated at Childers State School, Maryborough Central Boys' School, and Bundaberg High School. He was a student teacher at Bundaberg South State School in 1927, and taught at the Childers State School (from 1932) and Leichhardt Street State School (from 1935).

Involved in tennis and rugby union as a youth, Pizzey excelled in cricket and was selected for the Queensland Colts cricket team in 1929. In 1931, he was selected to represent Queensland in the Sheffield Shield against Victoria, but the match was cancelled due to rain and Pizzey was unable to represent the state. As he was stationed in Australia, Pizzey continued his education, studying a Bachelor of Arts (1942) at the University of Queensland.

Political career

Following his discharge from the AIF, Pizzey returned to teaching, and by 1946 was involved in administration at the Queensland Board of Adult Education. He resigned from the Department of Public Instruction in 1949 and became involved in representing the interests of sugar cane farmers as manager of the Childers Cane Farmers' Co-Operative and secretary to the Isis District Cane Growers' Executive. This representative role encouraged Pizzey to run for parliament, and in 1950 he won the safe Country Party seat of Isis in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland. He was also deputy leader of the Country Party, but he took other concurrent roles also: he held the portfolios of migration (1960–68), Aboriginal and Islander affairs (1962–68) and police (1962–68). As education minister, Pizzey presided over a period of unprecedented growth, particularly in secondary education, and played a key role in establishing Queensland's second university, James Cook University in Townsville in 1961. He was praised for his focus on secondary schooling, although his sweeping intervention in education matters was considered to have led to Brisbane's first teachers' strike in 1968.

Pizzey was succeeded as premier for a week by the Leader of the Liberal Party and Deputy Premier, Gordon Chalk, until the Country Party chose its new leader, Joh Bjelke-Petersen. As at 2018, the Pizzey Cup continues to be the national schools championship competition.

Legacy Pizzey is commemorated by the Pizzey Memorial Clock in Childers.

He is also commemorated by the Pizzey Park Sporting Complex which was established on a site in 1969 on the Gold Coast.