Don Hopgood

Donald Jack Hopgood AO (born 5 September 1938) was an Australian politician and 5th Deputy Premier of South Australia from 1985 to 1992. Hopgood represented the House of Assembly seats of Mawson from 1970 to 1977 and Baudin from 1977 to 1993 for the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party, and was promoted to the Labor frontbench in 1973.[1]

The Honourable and Reverend Dr Don Hopgood AO
Deputy Premier of South Australia
In office 26 July 1985 – 4 September 1992
Premier	John Bannon
Preceded by	Jack Wright
Succeeded by	Frank Blevins
Minister of Lands and Repatriation
In office 10 November 1982 – 26 July 1985
Premier	John Bannon
Preceded by	Peter Arnold
Succeeded by	Roy Abbott
Minister of Education
In office 24 June 1975 – 18 September 1979
Premier	Don Dunstan Des Corcoran
Preceded by	Hugh Hudson
Succeeded by	Harold Allison
Minister of Education
In office 24 June 1975 – 18 September 1979
Premier	Don Dunstan Des Corcoran
Preceded by	Hugh Hudson
Succeeded by	Harold Allison
Member of the South Australian Parliament for Baudin
In office 17 September 1977 – 11 December 1993
Preceded by	District created
Succeeded by	District abolished
Member of the South Australian Parliament for Mawson
In office 30 May 1970 – 17 September 1977
Preceded by	District created
Succeeded by	Leslie Drury
Personal details
Born	Donald Jack Hopgood (1938-09-05) 5 September 1938 Prospect, South Australia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Labor
Spouse(s)	Helen Raelene Medlin ​ ( m. 1964; died 2007)
Children	three
Parents	Jack and Gwen (nee Bessell) Hopgood
Alma mater	Flinders University
Moderator of the Synod of South Australia
Church	Uniting Church in Australia
Elected	1997
Term ended	1999
Predecessor	Rev Margaret Polkinghorne
Successor	Rev Don Catford

Hopgood was moderator of the Synod of South Australia of the Uniting Church in Australia from 1997 to 1999.[2]

Early life

Hopgood was born in 1938 at Prospect, an inner northern suburb of Adelaide. His father worked at Berger Paints. His maternal grandfather worked at Islington Railway Workshops. His paternal grandfather was a retired typesetter. Hopgood grew up in Prospect and was a member of the Prospect North Methodist Church Sunday school.[3] He went to Prospect Primary School and Adelaide Boys' High School.[4]

Hopgood started learning to play jazz trumpet at age 18. He played in jazz bands at church and university.[5] He went to Adelaide Teachers' College on Kintore Avenue, Adelaide and taught at Le Fevre Boys’ Technical High School for three years then moved to Whyalla Technical High School for a year (while still studying), then Westminster School for almost five years.[6] He won a scholarship to study for a PhD from Flinders University after he had been a teacher.[7] He was still studying for his PhD when he was elected to state parliament, so converted the final year to part-time.[8]

References

1. Donald Hopgood: SA Parliament
2. "About Hopgood Theatre". Country Arts SA. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
3. Murchie 2013, pp. 2–3
4. Murchie 2013, pp. 26, 29
5. Murchie 2013, p38
6. Murchie 2013, pp 52–53, 61, 63, 67
7. Murchie 2013, pp 70, 84
8. Murchie 2013, p 98

Further reading

• Murchie, Alison (14 April – 19 September 2013), Full transcript of an interview with Don Hopgood (PDF) (transcript), Transcribed by Deborah Gard, retrieved 21 April 2019
• Linn, Rob, "Hopgood, Don" (PDF), J.D. SOMERVILLE ORAL HISTORY COLLECTION, STATE LIBRARY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA: INTERVIEW NO. OH 715/6, SOHC/OH 715/6, retrieved 21 April 2019

Political offices
Preceded by Jack Wright	Deputy Premier of South Australia 1985 – 1992	Succeeded by Frank Blevins
South Australian House of Assembly
New district	Member for Mawson 1970–1977	Succeeded by Leslie Drury
New district	Member for Baudin 1977–1993	District abolished