Horace Keyworth Nock

  • Born 26 October 1879 in Salisbury, South Australia
  • Died 2 August 1958 in Sydney
  • Farmer and company director
  • Married Marcia Nessie Clarke; two sons and a daughter
  • President of Farmers and Settlers’ Association of NSW 1928-1932
  • Temporary Chairman of Committees 1934-37
  • Country Party Whip 1937
  • Minister without portfolio in charge of External Territories 1940
  • Minister without portfolio assisting the Prime Minister 1940
  • Minister without portfolio assisting the Minister for the Interior 1940
  • Unsuccessful Senate candidate 1919
  • Described in the Australian Dictionary of Biography: “Grey-haired and keen-eyed, with wild eye-brows and bristling moustache above an old-fashioned stovepipe collar, Nock was widely known to farmers (the ‘Cockies’ Patron Saint’) and sought out on agricultural issues. A vigorous and persistent advocate for rural interests, always well-armed with figures, Nock was an effective watchdog over various tariffs.”
Cristy Houghton