By Homeher


* John Curtin was born in Creswick, Victoria, near Ballarat, on the 8th of January 1885.
* John Curtin was not a good student and at 12 left school.
* He worked hard to become a self-educated man.  
* He left for Perth to become an editor of a newspaper called the Westralian Worker. 
* In 1931 he defeated Jim Scullin and therefore in 1935 as the M.P. of Fremantle he led the Labor Party.
* Within a few years he lost his spot and became unemployed.



* Curtin nearly won the election in 1940.
* In 1941, when the Menzies government collapsed, Curtin became Prime Minister, only 2 months before the bombing in Pearl Harbour.
* John Curtin was Prime Minister for 4 years (1941-1945). 
* As the Prime Minister in 1942 he persuaded all the States of Australia to allow income tax to be a Federal Government matter. 
* In November 1944 he suffered a severe heart problem and was hospitalised for 2 months. 
* He made his last ever speech on world peace in Parliament.
* On the 5th of July, 1945 one of the greatest Prime Ministers Australia had passed away.

Timeline of his life 1885 - 8th January, Born. 1897 - 12 years old, left school. 1931 - Defeated Jim Scullin. 1935 - MP for Fremantle. 1941 - Prime Minister. 1942 - Persuaded all states to allow Income Tax to be organised by the Federal Government. 1945 -  5th July, died.

Prime Ministers of Australia, by Jill Bruce, Illustrated by Errol Nathaniel
People In Power, by George Moore, Published by R.I.C Publications
Internet Sites
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5557/curtin.html