Edric Bastyan

Infobox Governor
honorific-prefix = Sir
name = Edric Bastyan
honorific-suffix =
KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB


caption = Sir Edric Bastyan (centre)
order = 25th
office = Governor of South Australia
monarch = Queen Elizabeth II
term_start = 4 April 1961
term_end = 1 June 1968
lieutenant =
predecessor = Sir Robert George
successor = Sir James Harrison
order2 = 20th
office2 = Governor of Tasmania
term_start2 = 2 December 1968
term_end2 = 30 November 1973
monarch2 = Queen Elizabeth II
lieutenant2 =
predecessor2 = Sir Stanley Burbury
successor2 = Sir Charles Gairdner
birth_date = birth date|1903|4|5
birth_place = Seaforth, Lancashire, England, UK
death_date = death date and age|1980|10|6|1903|4|5
death_place = North Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
restingplace =
restingplacecoordinates =
birthname = Edric Montague Bastyan
nationality =
spouse = Marjorie Dorothy Bowle
Victoria Eugenie Helen Bett
nickname =
allegiance = flagicon|UK United Kingdom
branch = British Army
serviceyears = 1923–1960
rank = Lieutenant General
unit = Eighth Army
commands = British Forces Overseas Hong Kong
battles =
awards =
Lieutenant-General Sir Edric Montague Bastyan, KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB (5 April 1903 – 6 October 1980) was Governor of South Australia from 4 April 1961 until 1 June 1968 then Governor of Tasmania from 2 December 1968 until 30 November 1973. He was the last British person to be governor of either state.

During his military career, senior posts held by him included head of logistics during the Berlin airlift (1946-48) and Commander of British Forces, Hong Kong from 1957 to 1960. He retired from the army in 1960 and was appointed Governor of South Australia on 4 April 1961.

On two occasions during his period as governor in South Australia, the elections did not result in a clear majority. In both 1962 and 1968, rather than make a precipitate decision to select the premier from the party with the largest minority (and more than 50% of the votes), he bided time and waited for parliament to meet. In both cases, the quick decision would have turned out to be wrong, and the South Australian House of Assembly selected the premier from the other party. In 1962, this allowed the Liberal Playford government to continue rather than the Labor Party led by Frank Walsh. In 1968, the Labor government of Don Dunstan lost to the Liberals led by Steele Hall. Without this leadership from the governor, there would likely have been a need for another election much sooner.

Bastyan's term in office in Tasmania was relatively uneventful, though he did have to deal, after the 1969 State election, with a deadlocked House of Assembly where both the ALP and Liberal Party had the same number of seats. The matter was resolved by a single representative of the Centre Party entering into a coalition with the Liberals. Bastyan returned to Adelaide in his retirement.

External links

* [http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/BASTYAN1.html King's College London Archives]
* [http://post.queensu.ca/cgi-bin/listserv/wa?A2=ind0504&L=marhst-l&F=&S=&P=52778 list of commanders in Hong Kong]
*"British and Indian armies on the China coast 1785-1985"; Harfield, A. G.; A. and J. Partnership, 1990. ISBN 0-9516065-0-6