Gus Kelly

Christopher Augustus "Gus" Kelly (21 August 1890 – 25 March 1967) was an Australian politician. He was a Labor Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1925 to 1932 and again from 1935 until his death in 1967, representing the electorate of Bathurst. He held numerous ministerial positions between 1941 and 1965 in McKell Labor Government. Early life Kelly was born near Dubbo, New South Wales and was the son of John Kelly, labourer, and Margaret Kearney. His father died when Kelly was aged and his family moved to Wellington, where he was educated to elementary level at the Wellington convent by Catholic nuns. He initially worked as a labourer with the New South Wales Government Railways and then later at the Portland, New South Wales limestone quarry. Following an accident, he became a cement tester. In 1906, Kelly joined the Australian Labor Party and held office as Portland branch secretary for 18 years and the local union organiser for the Clerk's Division of the Australian Workers' Union. Kelly had active military service in the First Australian Imperial Force in Egypt and France between 1915 and 1919. Political career In a pre-selection held in 1919, Kelly defeated Ben Chifley and was endorsed as one of three Labor candidates to contest the multi-member electorate of Bathurst at the 1922 State election. Kelly was unsuccessful at this election, and successfully sought endorsement (again against Chifley), and succeeded at the 1925 State election winning the third position, defeating Nationalist sitting member, Charles Rosenthal.