Les Haylen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Les Haylen
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| Member of the Australian Parliament for Parkes |
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| In office 21 August 1943 – 30 November 1963 |
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| Preceded by | Charles Marr |
| Succeeded by | Tom Hughes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 September 1898 Gundaroo, Colony of New South Wales |
| Died | 12 September 1977 (aged 78) Lewisham, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party |
| Spouse | Sylvia Myrtle Rogers |
| Occupation | Journalist |
Leslie Clement "Les" Haylen (born 23 September 1898 – died 12 September 1977) was an important Australian figure. He was a politician, a writer of plays and novels, and a journalist. He also used the pen-name Sutton Woodfield for some of his books.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Les Haylen was born in 1898 in a place called Gundaroo, near Queanbeyan. He was the youngest of twelve children. His family moved to Sydney in 1908.
He joined the army, known as the Australian Imperial Force, in 1918. He was sent to Europe, but his ship was called back. Later, he helped escort prisoners of war back to Germany. After returning to Sydney, he started working as a journalist for The Sunday Times. In 1927, he married Sylvia Myrtle Rogers.
Journalism and Writing Career
Les and Sylvia moved to Wagga Wagga, where Les became a senior editor for The Daily Advertiser newspaper. He also wrote important articles for the paper.
His first play, called Two Minutes' Silence, was about the horrors of war. It was first performed in 1930 and was very popular. A movie based on the play was made in 1933.
In 1933, Haylen returned to Sydney and became the news editor for The Australian Women's Weekly, a popular magazine.
Entering Politics
In 1942, Les Haylen decided to enter politics. He wanted to represent the area of Parkes in the Australian House of Representatives, which is part of Australia's parliament. He joined the Australian Labor Party.
Because he decided to run for parliament, his job at Consolidated Press Ltd ended. He then became the editor of the Labor Party's official newspaper, the Standard. In the 1943 federal election, he won a surprising victory. He defeated the long-serving member, Sir Charles Marr, and became a Member of Parliament.
Life as a Politician
Les Haylen was a strong believer in socialism, which is a political idea about fairness and equality. He loved to read and learn about different ideas. In parliament, he was known for his cleverness and sense of humor. He often found local politics a bit boring, once calling community events "fetes worse than death."
His main interests were in how Australia dealt with other countries (foreign affairs), the economy, and the arts. In 1944, he helped promote a referendum, which is when people vote on a specific question.
In 1945, he became the head of a special committee that advised the government on immigration. The ideas from his committee's report helped shape Australia's large immigration program after World War II. This program brought many new people to Australia.
Even though he wasn't chosen for a top government job after the 1946 elections, he led a group of politicians to Japan in 1948. While there, he caused some discussion by shaking hands with Emperor Hirohito. In the same year, he visited China to help Europeans living in Shanghai move to Australia. Later, in 1957, when his party was not in power, he visited China again. His book Chinese Journey (published in 1959) showed his support for the changes happening in China under its new government. He also visited Southeast Asian countries with a parliamentary group in 1963.
Les Haylen always supported the leaders of his party, like Ben Chifley, H.V. Evatt, and Arthur Calwell. He tried to become the deputy leader of the party in 1960 but was not successful. He lost his seat in parliament in the 1963 elections.
After leaving parliament, he continued to write. He tried to get into the Australian Senate in 1964 and to run for his old seat in 1965, but he was unsuccessful. His book of memories, Twenty Years' Hard Labor, was published in 1969. In it, he shared his feelings about parliament and some parts of his political party.
Les Haylen passed away on 12 September 1977 in Lewisham, Sydney. He was survived by his wife and two sons.
His Published Works
Les Haylen was a talented writer who created many plays and novels.
Plays
- Two Minutes Silence (1930)
- Change of Policy (1934)
- Freedom has a Beard (1937)
- Blood on the Wattle (1948)
- The Stormy Blast (1966)
Novels
- The Game Darrells (1933)
- The Brierley Rose (1935)
- Brown Boy Singing (1940)
- A for Artemis (1960), written as Sutton Woodfield
- Big Red (1965)
Other Works
- Chinese Journey (1959)
- The Tracks We Travel (1965, 1976), which he edited
- Twenty Years' Hard Labor (1969)
