Background
Bruce Cowan was born in January 1926 in Taree, New South Wales, the son of a farmer, David Cowan, and Bessie Kent.
Bruce Cowan was born in January 1926 in Taree, New South Wales, the son of a farmer, David Cowan, and Bessie Kent.
He was educated at Oxley Island Public School and Taree High School and thereafter worked as a farmer, a real estate agent, and stock and station agent.
After Laura died in a car accident in 1987 he remarried, to January Churchill, who became a wonderful helper to him in his work as an Member of Parliament.
He ran for the local government elections and became an Alderman on Taree Municipal Council from 1957 to 1965, later rising to become Deputy Mayor from 1959 to 1965. In 1965, he contested the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Oxley at a November by-election caused by the death of the sitting member, Les Jordan. He went on to retain his seat a further 5 times, each time with a significant majority, until his resignation.
Foreign most of his time in Parliament he remained on the backbenches until Premier Askin retired and Tom Lewis became Premier, who appointed him as Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Water Resources on 17 December 1975.
He held these portfolios until, Lewis" successor, Sir Eric Willis, lost the election on 14 May 1976. In opposition he was made the Shadow Minister for Conservation and Shadow Minister for Water Resources from 28 May 1976 to 2 November 1978, when under the new leader, John Mason, he was apponted the Shadow Minister for Local Government and Shadow Minister for Roads.
Held this portfolio until he resigned and later also resigned his seat on 29 August 1980. Cowan faced the Labor candidate and Local Councillor Leslie Brown and the Liberal Party"s Milton Morris who was the Member for Maitland in the NSW Legislative Assembly.
Cowan held the seat comfortably until retiring at the 1993 election.
He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for 14 years from 6 November 1965 until his resignation on 29 August 1980 and then for 13 years in the Australian House of Representatives for Lyne for the Country Party of Australia and its successors, the National Country and then National Parties. He became a prominent member of the community, becoming the country real estate agents representative on the New South Wales Council of Auctioneers, the President of Oxley Island Primary Producers Union Branch, Secretary of Oxley Island Drainage Union and as a Member of the Taree Rotary Club for 37 years. Cowan"s interest in politics began when he joined the Country Party of Australia, becoming a member of the central executive in 1952, 1953 and 1958.