1945 in Australia

The following lists events that happened during 1945 in Australia.

Incumbents

Monarch – George VI
Governor-General – Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Baron Gowrie, then the Duke of Gloucester
Prime Minister – John Curtin, then Frank Forde, then Ben Chifley
Chief Justice – Sir John Latham

State Premiers

Premier of New South Wales – William McKell
Premier of Queensland – Frank Cooper
Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford IV
Premier of Tasmania – Robert Cosgrove
Premier of Victoria – Albert Dunstan, then Ian MacFarlan, then John Cain
Premier of Western Australia – John Willcock, then Frank Wise

State Governors

Governor of New South Wales – John Loder, 2nd Baron Wakehurst
Governor of Queensland – Sir Leslie Orme Wilson
Governor of South Australia – Sir Charles Norrie
Governor of Tasmania – Sir Ernest Clark, then Sir Hugh Binney
Governor of Victoria – Sir Winston Dugan
Governor of Western Australia – ''none appointed''

Events

30 January – Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester becomes Australia's first royal Governor-General.
31 January – A Stinson aircraft crashes in Victoria, killing all 10 on board.
9 May – Germany surrenders to the Allies, ending World War II in Europe.
26 June – Dr H. V. Evatt signs the United Nations Charter on behalf of Australia.
8 to 30 June – Perth receives of rain in twenty-three days, easily its heaviest monthly rainfall on record and unlikely to be approached due to anthropogenic global warming.
5 July – Prime Minister John Curtin dies in office from heart problems at The Lodge in Canberra.
6 July – Frank Forde is sworn in as Prime Minister of Australia, following the death of John Curtin. He will serve Australia's shortest term as prime minister, being replaced by Ben Chifley a week later.
7 July – The Australian 7th Division commences operations in the Battle of Balikpapan. Operations are completed by 21 July.
13 July – Ben Chifley is elected as leader of the Australian Labor Party, becoming the 16th Prime Minister of Australia.
15 August – Japan surrenders to the Allies, ending World War II. The day is known as V-P Day.
10 November – A general election is held in Victoria.

Science and technology

12 December – Howard Florey shares the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on penicillin.

Arts and literature

June – Ern Malley hoax
William Dargie wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Edmund Herring
Russell Drysdale paints ''The Drover's Wife''

Film

1 May – The Australian National Film Board is established.

Sport

1 September – Eastern Suburbs defeats Balmain 22–18 in the final of the 1945 New South Wales Rugby Football League season. South Sydney finish in last place, claiming the wooden spoon.
29 September – The 1945 VFL Grand Final is held, and becomes known as the "Bloodbath" due to the wet, muddy conditions and frequent violence between players and amongst the spectators. Carlton defeats South Melbourne 15.13 to 10.15.
6 November – Rainbird wins the Melbourne Cup.
26 December – The first Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race begins. The British yacht Rani wins both line honours and the handicap, arriving in Hobart on 3 January.

Births

1 January – Peter Duncan, politician
2 January
* Diane Fahey, poet
* Byron Barnard Lamont, botanist
8 January – Jeannie Lewis, musician
10 January – John Fahey, 38th Premier of New South Wales
15 January – John Peard, rugby league player and coach
19 January – Judith Clingan, composer and musician
22 January – Arthur Beetson, rugby league player and coach
22 January – Ken Ticehurst, politician
26 January – John Coates, mathematician
28 January – Peter Cochran, politician
11 February
* Ralph Doubell, Olympic athlete
* Peter Blackmore, politician
23 February – Robert Gray, poet
26 February – Peter Brock, racing driver
3 March – George Miller, film director and producer
16 March – Michael Cobb, politician
28 March – Johnny Famechon, boxer
10 April – Kevin Berry, butterfly swimmer
13 April – Judy Nunn, actress, author
8 May – Janine Haines, politician
17 May – Tony Roche, tennis player
22 May – Bob Katter, politician
27 May – George Thompson, politician
29 May – Chris Barrie, Chief of the Defence Force
1 June – Kerry Vincent, chef and author
2 June – Michael Leunig, cartoonist
10 June – Martin Wesley-Smith, composer
13 July – Ashley Mallett, cricketer
17 July – Athena Starwoman, astrologer
18 July
* Kevin Neale, Australian rules footballer
* Max Tolson, soccer player
21 July – Geoff Dymock, cricketer
1 August – Ken Aldred, politician
2 August – Alex Jesaulenko, Australian rules football player
6 August – Tony Dell, cricketer
7 August
* Graeme Blundell, actor
* Graham Ramshaw, Australian rules football player
12 August – Mal Washer, politician
18 August – Gillian Bouras, writer
23 August – Ian McManus, politician
27 August – Kerry O'Brien, television journalist
22 October – Clover Moore, politician, 82nd Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney
25 October – Peter Ledger, illustrator
26 October – John Romeril, playwright
1 November – John Williamson, singer
15 November – Roger Donaldson, New Zealand film director
19 November – Barry Haase, politician
26 November – Roger Price, politician
27 November – Simon Townsend, journalist and television presenter
28 November – John Hargreaves, actor
5 December – Joanne Burns, poet
7 December – Bob Martin, politician
15 December – Thaao Penghlis, actor
21 December – Doug Walters, cricketer
22 December – Sam Newman, Australian rules football player and media personality
31 December – Vernon Wells, actor

Deaths

28 January – Samuel Dennis, Victorian politician
4 March – Sir Harry Chauvel, 11th Chief of the General Staff
5 March – Rupert Downes, soldier
6 April – Paddy Stokes, New South Wales politician
15 April – Thomas Collins, New South Wales politician
1 June – Walter Frederick Gale, banker and astronomer
5 June – Albert Piddington, New South Wales politician and High Court judge
5 July – John Curtin, Prime Minister of Australia
10 July – Jack Moses, bush poet
11 July – Frank Hill, New South Wales politician
29 July – Henry Burrell, naturalist
5 August – Alfred Reid, New South Wales politician
20 August – Sir Macpherson Robertson, confectioner
6 September – David Hall, New South Wales politician and barrister
15 September – William Calman Grahame, New South Wales politician
15 October – Tom Swiney, New South Wales politician
12 November – Reginald Weaver, New South Wales politician
6 December – Sir Edmund Dwyer-Gray, Premier of Tasmania