James Fairbairn

Who was James Fairbairn?

James Valentine Fairbairn was a pastoralist, aviator, Australian politician and cabinet minister who was killed in the Canberra air disaster.

Fairbairn was born in Wadhurst, Sussex, England, second son of Charles Fairbairn, a wealthy Australian grazier and nephew of George Fairbairn. He was brought up at Banongill, near Skipton, Victoria and educated at Geelong Grammar School from 1908 to 1915. He then travelled to England to enlist in the Royal Flying Corps as a flying officer. On 14 February 1917, he was shot down and captured by the Germans. Fourteen months later he was released in a prisoner exchange. Despite permanent injuries to his right arm, he continued to fly for the rest of his life. He returned to Australia in 1919 and took over the management of Peak Downs station, in Queensland. On 21 March 1923, he married Daisy Olive "Peggy" Forrester in Toorak. In 1924 he bought Mount Elephant station, near Derrinallum, in western Victoria. He was elected to the Hampden Shire Council in 1930 and subsequently became a director of the Commercial Banking Co. of Sydney and the Union Trustee Co. of Australia Ltd.