The Right Honourable Frank Forde
15th Prime Minister of Australia
In office 6 July 1945 – 13 July 1945
Monarch	George VI
Governor General	HRH The Duke of Gloucester
Preceded by	John Curtin
Succeeded by	Ben Chifley
Constituency	Capricornia (Queensland)
Personal details
Born	(1890-07-18)18 July 1890 Mitchell, Queensland, Australia
Died	28 January 1983(1983-01-28) (aged 92) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Political party	Labor
Spouse(s)	Vera Forde
Children	4
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Francis Michael Forde PC (18 July 1890 – 28 January 1983) was an Australian politician and the 15th Prime Minister of Australia. He was the shortest serving Prime Minister in Australia's history, being in office for only eight days.^[1]

Early life[link]

Forde was born at Mitchell, Queensland, and was the second of six children of Irish immigrant parents.^[2] His father was working as a grazier at the time of his birth, and Forde was educated at St. Mary's College, Toowoomba, a Catholic school, and became a teacher. Settling in Rockhampton, he became active in the Labor Party and in workers' education groups.^[3]

Political career[link]

In 1917 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland as Labor MP for Rockhampton. In 1922 he resigned and was elected to the Australian House of Representatives for Capricornia.^[3]

Forde soon advanced in the Labor ranks. When Labor won the 1929 election, he became Assistant Minister for Trade and Customs in the Scullin government. In the last days of the government he became Minister for Trade and Customs.^[4] As one of the few senior Labor MPs to survive defeat at the 1931 election, Forde became Deputy Opposition Leader in 1932. When Scullin retired in 1935, Forde contested the leadership ballot but was defeated by one vote by John Curtin, mainly because he had supported Scullin's economic policies.^[5]

Forde was a loyal deputy, and in 1941 when Labor returned to power he became Minister for the Army, a vital role in wartime.^[5] On 5 July 1945 Curtin died; as Deputy Leader, Forde was sworn in as Prime Minister on 6 July by the Governor-General, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester. At the leadership ballot on 13 July, he contested the leadership with Ben Chifley and Norman Makin.^[6] Chifley won, but Forde was elected Deputy Leader once more. As Minister for Defence he was much criticised for the slowness with which Army personnel were being demobilised. As a result, he lost his seat at the 1946 election, though the Labor Party itself comfortably retained office.^[7]

High Commissioner and return to state politics[link]

Chifley appointed Forde High Commissioner to Canada, and he held this position until 1953. He returned to Australia and tried to re-enter Parliament at the 1954 election, in the seat of Wide Bay, but without success. In 1955, at a by-election, he returned to the Queensland Parliament as MP for Flinders.^[7] He is the only Prime Minister who later served in a State Parliament.

However, in 1957 the Labor Party split resulted not only in Labor falling from power, but also in Forde being defeated in his own seat after a disputed and re-run election; he lost by only one vote.^[7] Save for this blow, he would probably have become Labor leader in Queensland, given that Premier Vince Gair and most of Gair's followers had been expelled from the party.

After politics[link]

Frank Forde's headstone at Brisbane's Toowong Cemetery.

Forde retired to Brisbane where he devoted himself to Catholic charity work. In his living room hung a large portrait of wartime US General Douglas MacArthur. On 11 April 1964, at the request of the Prime Minister Robert Menzies, Forde represented Australia at MacArthur’s funeral in Arlington, Virginia.^[7]

He died in 1983. His funeral was held on 3 February, the same day that Bob Hawke was elected ALP leader. Indeed, it was at Forde's funeral that Senator John Button told then Labor leader Bill Hayden that he must step aside in favour of Hawke, which he did.

The shortest-serving prime minister in Australian history – his term of office lasted only eight days – Forde was previously the longest-lived Australian prime minister (living &1000000000000009200000092 years, &10000000000000194000000194 days), until he was surpassed by Gough Whitlam on 21 January 2009. He was the only deputy Labor leader who served under three leaders (Scullin, Curtin and Chifley) until Jenny Macklin (Crean, Latham and Beazley, 2001–06). The electoral Division of Forde and the Canberra suburb of Forde are named after him.

Family[link]

Forde married Veronica (Vera) Catherine O’Reilly in 1925 and they had four children:^[8]

• Mary (b. 1928)
• Mercia (b. 1930)
• Clare (b. 1932)
• Francis Gerard Forde (1935–1966); his widow, Leneen Forde, became Governor of Queensland.

See also[link]

• Forde Ministry

References[link]

• Forde, Francis Michael – Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search

Bibliography[link]

• Carroll, Brian, Australia's Prime Ministers: From Barton to Howard, Rosenberg Publishing, 2004, ISBN 1-877058-22-X
• Hughes, Colin A (1976), Mr Prime Minister. Australian Prime Ministers 1901-1972, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, Victoria, Ch.16. ISBN 0-19-550471-2

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Frank Forde

• "Francis Forde". Australia's Prime Ministers. National Archives of Australia. http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/forde/. Retrieved 29 June 2010. 
• Saunders, Malcolm. "Forde, Francis Michael (Frank) (1890 - 1983)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: Australian National University. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A170399b.htm. Retrieved 29 June 2010. 
• "Francis Forde". National Museum of Australia. http://www.nma.gov.au/education/school_resources/websites_and_interactives/primeministers/francis_forde/. Retrieved 29 June 2010. 

Frank Bruno
Frank Bruno (left) with Errol Christie
Statistics
Real name	Franklin Roy Bruno
Nickname(s)	"Frank" Bruno
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Nationality	British
Born	(1961-11-16) 16 November 1961 (age 50) Hammersmith, England
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	45[1]
Wins	40
Wins by KO	38
Losses	5
Draws	0
No contests	0

Franklin Roy "Frank" Bruno MBE (born 16 November 1961) is a British former boxer whose career highlight was winning the WBC heavyweight championship in 1995. Altogether, he won 40 of his 45 contests. Like Henry Cooper before him, Bruno has remained a popular celebrity with the British public since his ring career ended and still appears regularly in pantomime.

Boxing career[link]

Bruno became a professional boxer in 1982, quickly racking up a streak of twenty-one consecutive wins by knockout. This streak caught the attention of international boxing magazines, such as The Ring, KO Magazine, Boxing Illustrated, Ring En Español. During this period Bruno defeated former world title contender Scott LeDoux, the dangerous fringe contender Floyd Cummings, former European Champion Rudy Gauwe, British contender Eddie Nielson and trial horses such as Bill Sharkey, Walter Santemore and Ken Lakusta. However, in May 1984 the up and coming future world heavyweight Champion, American James 'Bonecrusher' Smith, halted that streak when he defeated Bruno by knockout in the tenth and final round of their bout, with Bruno leading clearly on all three judges' cards. As a general view, Bruno was carefully managed, whereby he developed well to later give a strong account of himself in the big matches.

Bruno won his next 6 bouts against respected opposition. He won the European heavyweight title with a KO over Swedens Anders Eklund, KO'd former European champion and world title contender Lucien Rodriguez, was taken the distance for the first time by the useful world rated Philipp Brown, and beat fringe fighters Larry Frazier and Jeff Jordan.

Bruno got back into title contention with an impressive one round KO win over former WBA champion Gerrie Coetzee of South Africa, and, in July 1986, he challenged Tim Witherspoon for the WBA heavyweight title. After once again leading on the cards for most of the fight, he ran out of steam and was defeated by knockout, in round eleven.

Bruno once again got himself back into title contention with wins over former contender James Tillis and journeymen Reggie Gross and Chuck Gardner. In October 1987 Bruno faced the veteran Joe Bugner, who although long past his peak was coming off impressive wins over Greg Page and David Bey. Bruno won by TKO in the 8th round, the referee stopping the bout, although it appeared Bugner could have continued.

In 1989, Bruno challenged Mike Tyson for the undisputed world heavyweight title. In the opening moments, the fighters came together with huge punches. Frank's legs buckled, and he took a big step back, inadvertently stepping off the ring apron. Most agree that he would have gone down, at least to a knee in any event, and this was called a knockdown. Frank did not complain, and instead gathered himself to continue, ultimately rocking Tyson (for the first time in his career) with a left hook toward the end of the round. However, Tyson recovered and eventually beat Bruno when the referee stopped the contest in round five with Bruno taking heavy punishment, lying helpless on the ropes.

Bruno kept winning fights, helping him to retain his spot as one of the world's leading heavyweights. He defeated good contenders such as Jose Ribalta, Carl Williams, and Pierre Coetzer, as well as the Dutchman Jan Emmen.

In 1993 he had a third world title chance against young Lennox Lewis, who was making the second defence of the belt (his first of three championship reigns). The Lennox Lewis vs. Frank Bruno fight was the first time that two British-born boxers had fought for the world heavyweight title.^[2] Lewis beat Bruno on a stoppage in round seven, Bruno again failing to take his title chance after leading the contest on points up until what proved the final round.

Bruno again regrouped, dispatching the respected Jesse Ferguson in one round, and the fringe contenders Rodolfo Marin and Mike Evans equally easily.

On 24 September 1994, Oliver McCall beat Lewis with a surprising and somewhat controversial second round knockout victory at Wembley Arena, and, after outpointing Larry Holmes, he came to England to defend the WBC title against Bruno. On 2 September 1995, Bruno finally became world champion by outpointing McCall over twelve rounds. Bruno did not last long as champion - the contract he signed in order to get McCall meant he had to face Mike Tyson in his first defence. Tyson beat Bruno on a stoppage in round three,^[3] Bruno performing unusually poorly in what turned out to be his last bout as a professional, despite having commented prior to the fight "I ain't freezing, son".

Bruno's publicist throughout most of his career was sports historian Norman Giller, who wrote three books in harness with Frank: Know What I mean, Eye of the Tiger and From Zero to Hero. His manager for all but his last five fights was Terry Lawless, who signed him as a professional shortly after he had become ABA heavyweight champion at the age of eighteen.

Outside boxing[link]

Bruno grew up with five siblings in a terraced house in Wandsworth, South London, where his parents had settled after moving to England from the Caribbean. In 1990, he married his partner Laura at a small church in Hornchurch, an area of Greater London near the border with Essex. They had three children. However, their relationship deteriorated, and they divorced in 2001.^[4]

Bruno has remained a popular figure with the British public. His image was enhanced by his relationship with the BBC boxing commentator Harry Carpenter, his appearances on the early Comic Relief programmes in the 1980s and his frequent appearances thereafter on television and on stage (in pantomime).

In December 2005, Bruno announced that he was to become a father for the fourth time since finding new romance with old friend Yvonne Clydesdale. The pair, who first met five years previously at a health resort, began dating months after bumping into each other at a wine bar near his home. Yvonne gave birth to baby Freya on 10 May 2006.

In 1995, the year of his world championship, he released a cover version of "Eye of the Tiger", the theme song of the movie Rocky III. It reached No 28 in the UK charts.

In January 2001, Bruno announced that he wanted to stand as the Conservative candidate in the traditionally safe Tory seat of Brentwood and Ongar^[5] against the independent Member of Parliament, Martin Bell. His proposed slogan was "Don't be a plank, vote for Frank!" However, this idea was quickly dismissed by Conservative Central Office.^[6] But in an interview with BBC Sport at the time Bruno laughed at the story and denied he had any intention of standing.^{[citation needed]}

On 22 September 2003, Bruno was taken from his home near Brentwood in Essex by medical staff assisted by police officers, under the provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983. He was taken to Goodmayes Hospital in Ilford, where he underwent psychological and psychiatric tests.^[7] He had been suffering from depression for several months beforehand. He was later diagnosed as having bipolar disorder.^[8] On 9 October 2005 he admitted that his cocaine use, which began in 2000, contributed to his mental health problems.^[9] Media coverage of Bruno's problems raised controversy, the principal accusations were gross intrusion and insensitivity. Particular criticism was aimed at The Sun, whose headline in the first editions the next day read "Bonkers Bruno Locked Up". Second editions retracted the headline and attempted to portray a more sympathetic attitude towards Bruno and mental health in general.^[10] As an attempt at atonement, the paper established a charity fund for the victims of mental illness, although some mental health charities condemned The Sun's latter action that day as being grossly cynical in the light of the former. On 24 February 2008 Frank Bruno offered his support to former footballer Paul Gascoigne, who on 21 February had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act^[11] Bruno also spoke on his own personal experiences in the mental heath system at a conference run by Hari Sewell, on 22 June 2009.^[12]

On 10 October 2006, Bruno and his partner Yvonne Clydesdale were jointly awarded £50,000 damages for libel against The People newspaper and publishers MGN in respect of false claims made about the pair's relationship.^[13]

By 2005 Bruno was able to appear on BBC Radio as a guest expert at a boxing match, as well as appearing on television again. Bruno now regularly makes personal appearances and he also sells autographed items of memorabilia.^[14]

He supports West Ham United whilst also having an affinity for Aberdeen.

On 15 August 2009 he appeared on The Weakest Link beating Duke Mckenzie in the final for £12,800.

Frank had a small role in the 2008 British crime drama Cass.

Bruno made a brief guest appearances in episodes of the ITV comedy show, Harry Hill's TV Burp in February and October 2011.

Frank is also a Patron for The Shannon Bradshaw Trust, A Children's Charity. Helping Children with Life Threatening Conditions and their Families. www.shannonstrust.org.uk

On 3 March 2011 Frank Bruno appeared as a guest at The Sirloin pub in Chingford, East London for a questions and answers session.

On 21 April 2011, Bruno appeared on the ITV1 chatshow The Alan Titchmarsh Show, where he was quite candid about his previous health issues.

Frank completed the 2011 London marathon which is the 3rd marathon he has run successfully. He has also run numerous half marathons.

In 2011, he appeared in the remake of classic TV kids show Sooty alongside Richard Cadell.

On 20 April 2012, Bruno was featured in the ITV series Piers Morgan's Life Stories

Professional boxing record[link]

40 Wins (38 knockouts, 2 decisions), 5 Losses (5 knockouts, 0 decisions), 0 Draws [1]
Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
Loss	40–5	Mike Tyson	TKO	3 (12)	16/03/1996	MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Lost WBC Heavyweight title. Bruno was cut over his left eye in the first round.
Win	40–4	Oliver McCall	UD	12	02/09/1995	Wembley Stadium, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom	Won WBC Heavyweight title.
Win	39–4	Lee Walsh	KO	2 (10)	13/05/1995	Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
Win	38–4	Rodolfo Marin	KO	1 (10)	18/02/1995	Bath & West Country Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England, United Kingdom
Win	37–4	Jesse Ferguson	TKO	1 (10)	16/03/1994	National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom
Loss	36–4	Lennox Lewis	TKO	7 (12)	01/10/1993	Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom	For WBC Heavyweight title.
Win	36–3	Carl Williams	TKO	10 (10)	24/04/1993	National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom
Win	35–3	Pierre Coetzer	TKO	8 (10)	17/10/1992	The Arena, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	34–3	Jose Ribalta	KO	2 (10)	22/04/1992	The Arena, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	33–3	John Emmen	TKO	1 (10)	20/11/1991	Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom
Loss	32–3	Mike Tyson	TKO	5 (12)	25/02/1989	Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	For WBC, WBA & IBF Heavyweight titles. Bruno down in round 1 & penalized a point for holding. Bruno wobbled Tyson in the 1st round with a left hook.
Win	32–2	Joe Bugner	TKO	8 (10)	24/10/1987	White Hart Lane (Tottenham FC), Tottenham, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	31–2	Reggie Gross	TKO	8 (10)	30/08/1987	Nueva Andalucia Bullring, Marbella, Andalucía, Spain
Win	30–2	Chuck Gardner	TKO	1 (10)	27/06/1987	Palais des Festivals, Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes, France
Win	29–2	James Tillis	TKO	5 (10)	24/03/1987	The Arena, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom
Loss	28–2	Tim Witherspoon	TKO	11 (12)	19/07/1986	Wembley Stadium, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom	For WBA Heavyweight title.
Win	28–1	Gerrie Coetzee	KO	1 (10)	04/03/1986	The Arena, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	27–1	Larry Frazier	KO	2 (10)	04/12/1985	Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	26–1	Anders Eklund	KO	4 (12)	01/10/1985	The Arena, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom	Won EBU Heavyweight title.
Win	25–1	Lucien Rodriguez	TKO	1 (10)	26/03/1985	The Arena, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	24–1	Phillip Brown	UD	10	27/11/1984	The Arena, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	23–1	Jeff Jordan	TKO	3 (10)	06/11/1984	Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	22–1	Ken Lakusta	KO	2 (?)	25/09/1984	Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom
Loss	21–1	James Smith	KO	10 (10)	13/05/1984	Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	21–0	Juan Antonio Figueroa	TKO	1 (10)	13/03/1984	Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	20–0	Walter Santemore	KO	4 (10)	06/12/1983	Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	19–0	Floyd Cummings	TKO	7 (10)	11/10/1983	Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	18–0	Bill Sharkey	KO	1 (10)	27/09/1983	Wembley Arena, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	17–0	Mike Jameson	KO	1 (10)	09/07/1983	DiVinci Manor, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Win	16–0	Barry Funches	TKO	5 (10)	31/05/1983	Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	15–0	Scott LeDoux	TKO	3 (10)	03/05/1983	Wembley Arena, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	14–0	Eddie Neilson	TKO	3 (10)	05/04/1983	Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	13–0	Winston Allen	TKO	2 (10)	01/03/1983	Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	12–0	Peter Mulindwa Kozza	KO	3 (10)	08/02/1983	Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom	Mulindwa replaced the injured Alfredo Evangelista on 3 days notice.
Win	11–0	Stewart Lithgo	RTD	4 (8)	18/01/1983	Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom	Lithgo's corner retired after the 4th due to severe cuts around his eyes.
Win	10–0	Gilberto Acuna	TKO	1 (10)	07/12/1982	Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	9–0	George Butzbach	TKO	1 (8)	23/11/1982	Wembley Arena, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	8–0	Rudy Gauwe	KO	2 (8)	09/11/1982	Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	7–0	Ali Lukasa	TKO	2 (8)	23/10/1982	Berlin, Germany
Win	6–0	George Scott	TKO	1 (8)	14/09/1982	Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	5–0	Tony Moore	TKO	2 (8)	01/06/1982	Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	4–0	Ronald Gibbs	TKO	4 (8)	04/05/1982	Wembley Arena, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	3–0	Abdul Muhaymin	KO	1 (8)	20/04/1982	Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	2–0	Harvey Steichen	TKO	2 (8)	30/03/1982	Wembley Arena, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	1–0	Lupe Guerra	KO	1 (8)	17/03/1982	Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom	Bruno's debut.

See also[link]

• List of heavyweight boxing champions
• List of European Boxing Union heavyweight champions

References[link]

External links[link]

	Book: Frank Bruno
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Frank Bruno

• Official website
• Professional boxing record for Frank Bruno from BoxRec
• Frank Bruno in the 21st century - Tribute on britishboxing.net
• Profile: Frank Bruno - BBC News profile 22 September 2003
• How Bruno's troubles began - BBC Sport article 23 September 2003