Background
Collett was born in Saint Peter Portuguese, Guernsey and arrived with his family in Western Australia in October 1884.
member of the Australian Senate
Collett was born in Saint Peter Portuguese, Guernsey and arrived with his family in Western Australia in October 1884.
He was educated at Perth Grammar School and became a librarian at the Victoria Public Library in 1891.
Collett joined the Metropolitan Rifle Volunteers at the age of 16 and rose to command the 11th Australian Infantry Regiment as a lieutenant colonel in 1908. With the outbreak of the First World War he commanded the 28th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force from 23 April 1915 and he served at Gallipoli, in Egypt and Sinai and in France. On 29 July 1916, he was wounded at the Battle of Pozièresearch
He returned to action on 12 October 1917 at the First Battle of Passchendaele.
He was promoted to colonel in June 1918 and discharged in September 1919. Collett was assistant general secretary of Perth"s amalgamated library, museum and art gallery from 1915 to 1933 and president of the Western Australia branch of the Returned Sailors and Soldiers" Imperial League from 1925 to 1933.
In parliament he was particularly concerned with military matters and benefits for ex-servicemen and was Minister in charge of War Service Homes from April 1939 to June 1941, when he became Minister for Repatriation until the fall of the Fadden government in October 1941. He was also Vice-President of the Executive Council and Minister in charge of Scientific and Industrial Research from August to October 1940.
He was defeated at the 1946 election, completing his Senate term in July 1947.
In April 1933, Collett was appointed to fill a casual vacancy in the Australian Senate, representing the Nationalist Party of Australia (United Australia Party from 1937).
