Mick Driver
DRIVER, Arthur Robert (Mick), AMIEAust BEM (1909-1981)
Mick was born at Albany on November 25, 1909, the son of grocer Henry Haywood Driver and his wife Mary Ann Driver nee Hickin.
He was first educated at Albany State School and then from 1918 at Thomas Street State School, Subiaco. His secondary education started at Perth Boy’s School in 1922. In 1922 he won a Secondary School Scholarship and then went to Hale (then known as High School) from 1923 to 1927. He completed his Junior Certificate in 1924 and his Leaving Certificate in 1927.
Mick joined the Western Australian Public Works Department in 1928 as an engineering cadet. He commenced study at the University of Western Australia in 1928.
He had a prominent sporting career whilst studying at university, being Secretary of the University Athletics Club and receiving a full blue for rowing having been in the winning eight in the Oxford and Cambridge Cup in 1929 and 1930.
He was appointed as an Assistant Engineer on the Bunbury Harbours Works in 1932 and was appointed engineer on the permanent staff in 1937.
On 8 August 1936, at St Mary’s Church of England, West Perth, he had married Hazel Freda Kelly.
He was called up for full-time duty as a lieutenant in the Royal Australian Engineers, Militia, on 16 October 1940. He transferred to the Australian Imperial Force on 10 April 1941. Posted to the 2/4th Pioneer Battalion, he served in the Northern Territory and underwent staff training. In March 1943 he was promoted to temporary captain.
As brigade major of the 23rd Brigade from September, he was sent to Papua and New Guinea, and then to Bougainville. He was promoted to temporary major in February 1944. In September 1945 he was made general staff officer, 2nd grade (operations), at Advanced Land Headquarters, Morotai, Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia). He transferred to the Reserve of Officers on December 5, 1945.
Mick returned briefly to the Public Works Department and in 1946 became an associate-member of the Institution of Engineers, Australia.
On July 1, 1946, he was appointed as administrator of the Northern Territory. In 1947 the Legislative Council was created to manage Territory affairs locally and in 1948 Mick was named its first president. The council comprised seven appointed members (senior public servants) and six elected members.
Presiding over the postwar reconstruction of Darwin, Driver supervised the conversion of freehold land titles to leasehold. He reorganised the administration and police force, developed stock routes to open up pastoral lands, promoted agriculture and mining, expanded education facilities, including the School of the Air, and ensured that these aspects of the Territory were widely publicised throughout Australia to attract new residents.
On 18 October 1949 (ten days after he was divorced), at St Leonard’s Presbyterian Church, Brighton Beach, Melbourne, Mick married Marjorie (`Mardi’) Driver, née Leighton, a secretary who was the widow of Flight Lieutenant Harry Driver.
Mick resigned from the role as Administrator on June 30, 1951 and took up the role of Chief Australian Migration Officer Italy until 1954. From 1954 to 1955 he was Chief Australian Migration Officer Central-Northern Europe. From 1956 to 1961 he was Chief of the Department of Operations of the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration based at Geneva.
Mick returned to Australia and took up the role of Director of the Resources Development Branch at the Victorian Employers Federation from 1963 to 1971.
He moved to Queensland and was the Managing Director of Communicator PR and Mirrabooka Rural Resources Pty Ltd. He retired to Buderim, Queensland.
Mick died on May 18, 1981, at Buderim and was survived by his wife Mardi, his son and his two daughters.
References:
West Australian, 18.11.1922, p. 13.
West Australian, 6.12.1928, p. 16.
West Australian, 6.12.1929, p. 7.
West Australian, 4.4.1946, p. 6.
Paul A. Rosenzweig, Driver, Arthur Robert (Mick) (1909–1981), Australian Dictionary of Biography, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/driver-arthur-robert-mick-12438/text22365, published first in hardcopy 2007, accessed online 6 December 2023.
