Preceded by Dick Brown Nationality Australian Occupation Carpenter, Builder | Preceded by New seat Political party Liberal Party Succeeded by Bill Hewitt | |
Full Name Keith William Hooper Born 21 August 1919
Boonah, Queensland, Australia ( 1919-08-21 ) Spouse(s) Betty Florence Ball (m.1947) Died 23 August 1977, Townsville, Australia Party Liberal Party of Australia | ||
Keith hooper wedding
Keith William Hooper (21 August 1919 – 23 August 1977) was a carpenter and member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.
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Keith hooper on the new think and grow rich
Early days
Brown was born at Boonah, Queensland, to William Hooper and his wife Ada Ellen (née Moore) and was educated at Boonah, Maroochydore, and Brisbane state schools. He began work as a carpenter before joining the A.I.F. in 1940 where he served with the 2/10 Field Regiment attached to the ill-fated Eighth Division in WWII.
In 1942 Hooper was captured by the Japanese and taken to the notorious Changi prison. The following year he was taken to Japan where he was held at the Kobe House and Nomachi prison camps until the end of the war in August 1945. He wore a steel brace from his armpit to his hip and walked with a limp due to injuries suffered while a prisoner of war and at one stage was clinically dead until he was revived with a shot of adrenalin by Dr Clive Boyce, a fellow prisoner. After his discharge in 1946, he was trained as a builder.
Political career
At the 1957 Queensland state election, Hooper, representing the Liberal Party, won the seat of Buranda by defeating the long-serving Labor member, Dick Brown. By the time of the next state election, his seat of Buranda was abolished to make way for the new seat of Greenslopes. Hooper went on to represent that seat until 1977.
His Parliamentary Service included being Chairman of Committees and Deputy Speaker from 22 August 1963 until 20 June 1972 and Minister for Transport from 20 June 1972 until 23 August 1977.
During his public life he was a member of the Victoria Bridge Board, the Electricity Board; the Water and Sewerage Board and the Brisbane Tramway Trust. He was also awarded life membership of the Queensland Amateur Athletics Club and was a founding member of the Coorparoo Bowls Club.
Personal life
On the 8 February 1947, Hooper married Betty Florence Ball and together had two daughters. He died in Townsville in 1977, one day after submitting his resignation from parliament and was accorded a state funeral.