Ernie Bridge | |
---|---|
Member of the Western Australian Parliament for Kimberley | |
In office 23 February 1980 – 10 February 2001 | |
Preceded by | Alan Ridge |
Succeeded by | Carol Martin |
Personal details | |
Born | Ernest Francis Bridge 15 December 1936 Halls Creek, Western Australia, Australia |
Died | 31 March 2013 Perth, Western Australia | (aged 76)
Political party | Labor (1980–1996) |
Other political affiliations | Independent (1996–2001) |
Spouse | Mavis Ida Bridge (née Granger) (1960–2009; her death) |
Children | 4 |
Ernest Francis Bridge, AM (15 December 1936 – 31 March 2013[1]) was an Australian parliamentarian and country music singer.[2] He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1980 to 2001, representing the electorate of Kimberley, first as a Labor Party representative (1980–1996) and then as a Labor Independent MP (1996–2001). He was the first indigenous Australian to be a Cabinet minister in any Australian government.