1938 in Australia

The following lists events that happened during 1938 in Australia.

Incumbents

Monarch – George VI
Governor-General – Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Baron Gowrie
Prime Minister – Joseph Lyons
Chief Justice – Sir John Latham

State Premiers

State Governors

Governor of New South Wales – John Loder, 2nd Baron Wakehurst
Governor of Queensland – Sir Leslie Orme Wilson
Governor of South Australia – Sir Winston Dugan
Governor of Tasmania – Sir Ernest Clark
Governor of Victoria – William Vanneck, 5th Baron Huntingfield
Governor of Western Australia – ''none appointed''

Events

26 January – Australia officially celebrates its sesquicentennial, the 150th anniversary of European settlement. Unofficially, it is a Day of Mourning for Indigenous Australians.
6 February – Three hundred beachgoers are dragged out to sea when three freak waves strike Bondi Beach in Sydney in an event known as "Black Sunday". A team of eighty surf lifesavers manage to rescue all but five people.
13 February – Nineteen people die when Sydney ferry the Rodney, carrying 150 passengers, capsizes in Sydney Harbour while farewelling US Navy cruiser.
1 April – New monthly newspaper Abo Call begins publication in Sydney, focusing on issues of Aboriginal rights and edited by activist Jack Patten.
11 May – Two jockeys are killed and two are injured in a horse racing accident at Morphettville Racecourse in Adelaide, South Australia.
25 October – Eighteen people die in Australia's worst air disaster when the Douglas DC-2 Kyeema crashes in the Dandenong Ranges in thick fog.
15 November – Waterside workers at Port Kembla, New South Wales refuse to load a consignment of scrap iron destined for Japan, arguing that it would be used for munitions. Attorney-General Robert Menzies attempts to force the loading of the cargo, earning himself the nickname "Pig Iron Bob".
21 December – A direct radio-telephone link is established between Canberra and Washington D.C.
28 December – The Sydney Mail ceases publication.

Arts and literature

31 March – Xavier Herbert wins the Commonwealth 150th anniversary literary award for his novel Capricornia.
30 December – The Passing of the Aborigines by Daisy Bates is published.

Sport

5 to 12 February – The 1938 British Empire Games are held in Sydney. Australia leads the medal tally at the games, winning 25 gold medals, 19 silver and 22 bronze.
19 March – The 1938 Interstate Grand Prix is staged at the Wirlinga circuit in New South Wales.
20 August – At Royal Park, Melbourne, the Australia national netball team defeated New Zealand 40–11. This was the first netball Test between Australia and New Zealand.
2 September – Canterbury-Bankstown defeat Eastern Suburbs 19 to 6 in the grand final, becoming premiers of the 1938 NSWRFL season. St. George finish in last place, claiming the wooden spoon.
1 November – Catalogue wins the Melbourne Cup.

Births

3 January – Alan Ramsey, journalist
12 January
* Lewis Fiander, actor
* Noel McNamara, crime victims supporter
13 January – Daevid Allen, musician
17 January – David Theile, backstroke swimmer
21 January – Steve Dunleavy, journalist
21 February – John Harvey, racing driver
25 February – Herb Elliott, athlete
28 February – Dennis Olsen, pianist, actor and director
1 March – Henry Reynolds, historian
5 March – Mike Walsh, television presenter
16 March – Jock Austin, Indigenous Australian community leader
19 March – John Winneke, judge
25 March – Anthony Carwardine, naval officer
20 April – Betty Cuthbert, athlete
29 April – Jim Lenehan, rugby union player
5 June – Roy Higgins, jockey
18 June – Kevin Murray, Australian rules footballer
19 June – Ian Smith, actor and screenwriter
20 June – Joan Kirner, Premier of Victoria
23 June – John Gerovich, Australian rules footballer
25 June – Mick Allen, rower
27 June
* Bob Baxt, lawyer
* Gordon Rorke, cricketer
28 June – Sergio Silvagni, Australian rules footballer
8 July – Paul Cronin, television and film actor
13 July – Ian Macphee, politician, Minister for Immigration
15 July – Carmen Callil, publisher
16 July – Colin Rice, Australian rules footballer
23 July – Bert Newton, entertainer
28 July – Robert Hughes, art critic
9 August – Rod Laver, tennis player
12 August – Lionel Morgan, rugby league player
22 August – Roger Gyles, lawyer and judge
30 August – Murray Gleeson, High Court judge
2 September – Ernie Sigley, entertainer
8 October – Fred Stolle, tennis player
17 October – Les Murray, poet
30 October – Morris Lurie, writer
8 November – Bob Skilton, Australian rules footballer
26 November – Rodney Jory, physicist
4 December – Yvonne Minton, operatic soprano
11 December – Reg Livermore, actor, singer and television presenter
21 December – Frank Moorhouse, writer

Deaths

6 January – John Gavin, film director
15 January – Paul Raphael Montford, sculptor
21 January – Will Dyson, cartoonist
31 January – John Barnes, politician
16 February – Thomas Molloy, WA politician
21 April – Sir Talbot Hobbs, architect
11 May – Lawrence Wells, explorer
17 May – Nora Clench, Canadian violinist
17 June – Ranji Hordern, cricketer
19 June – Jack Hides, explorer
22 June – C. J. Dennis, poet
29 June – Sir Colin Mackenzie, anatomist and museum administrator
30 August – Evelyn Marsden, survivor of the Titanic
11 September – Sir Philip Whistler Street, NSW Supreme Court judge
12 October – Hugh Massie, cricketer
25 October – Charles Hawker, politician
29 November – John Sandes, journalist and author