Education
Born in Katanning, Western Australia, Nalder was educated at Wesley College, Perth, but returned to farming after graduation.
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Crawford Nalder
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Following the abolishment of Wagin, Nalder switched to Katanning for the 1950 election, a constituency he would hold until his retirement. He succeeded Arthur Watts as the party"s leader in February 1962, and continued to govern in coalition with the Liberal Party, led by premier David Brand. This arrangement continued until the government"s defeat at the 1971 elections.
Nalder was knighted in 1974, following his retirement from parliament, and later returned to Wagin, where he died in 1994.
Nalder was born in Katanning, a small town in Western Australia"s Great Southern region, to Janet (née Painter) and Henry Arthur Nalder. He received his early education from state schools in Colanilling, Ballaying, and Bonnie Doon, but boarded at Wesley College, Perth, for his final two years of schooling.
After graduating in 1925, Nalder returned to the country, farming at Wagin. From 1932, he served as a lay preacher in the Methodist Church.
During World World War II, Nalder enlisted in the Australian Army, serving as a private in the 10th Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps.
The electoral district of Wagin was abolished in a redistribution prior to the 1950 state elections, and Nalder successfully contested Katanning, which had been vacated following the decision of Arthur Watts, the leader of the CDL, to move to Stirling. He would hold Katanning until his retirement prior to the 1974 elections, on occasion being re-elected unopposed. Following Labor"s defeat in the 1959 state elections, Nalder was named Minister for Agriculture in the Brand–Watts Ministry, a position he held from 2 April 1959 through to 3 March 1971.
From 12 April 1962, he was also Minister for Electricity.
Nalder was elected Deputy Leader of the CDL in 1956, and on Watts" retirement in February 1962, succeeded him as the party"s leader and Deputy Premier to David Brand. He subsequently retired to Wagin, dying there in December 1994, aged 84.
Achievements
Membership
He was elected to the seat of Wagin at the 1947 state election, as a member of what would later be known as the Country Party. A long-time member of the Country and Democratic League (CDL), Nalder stood for the Legislative Assembly seat of Wagin in the 1947 state elections, and was elected over two other CDL candidates and one Labor Party candidate. He remained a member of Cabinet in the reconstituted Brand–Nalder Ministry until the defeat of the Liberal–Country coalition at the 1971 elections, and continued in parliament until the 1974 elections.
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Born
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Died
December 8, 1994 (aged 84) -
Nationality
Australia -
Political Party
Country Party