Gerry Peacocke

Gerald Beresford Ponsonby Peacocke (2 June 1931 – 23 May 2013) was an Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.

A solicitor by profession, and a former city councillor, Gerry Peacocke was elected the National Party of Australia member for Dubbo, in 1981. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for 17 years, before returning to local government, serving one term as Mayor of Dubbo.^[1]

During his parliamentary career, Peacocke served as a minister in the Greiner and Fahey Coalition Governments. During his time as a minister he had been touted as a possible Deputy Premier and National Party Leader but did not nominate for the National Party leadership when Wal Murray retired from these two positions.

Shortly after Murray was succeeded as Deputy Premier and National Party leader by Ian Armstrong in May 1993, Peacocke was one of three ministers (and the only National out of these three) to have been sacked by Premier John Fahey in a Cabinet reshuffle. Peacocke reacted adversely to his sacking and called Premier Fahey "a gutless little wimp . . . wide and shallow like a soup bowl" ^[2] for not informing him beforehand of his sacking but this has been denied by Armstrong.

Peacocke died in his sleep on 23 May 2013.

References

1. "The Hon. Gerald Beresford Ponsonby Peacocke (1931 - 2013)". Members of Parliament. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
2. http://www.dailyliberal.com.au/story/1522647/peacocke-leaves-a-lasting-legacy/