Skip to main content
Menu

The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

The Gallery’s Acknowledgement of Country, and information on culturally sensitive and restricted content and the use of historic language in the collection can be found here.

Les Bury

n.d.
Louis Kahan AO

fibre-tipped pen on paper (sheet: 56 cm x 38.1 cm)

Hon Les Bury CMG (1913-1986), politician, was member for Wentworth in Sydney’s eastern suburbs from 1956 to 1974. Born in London and educated at Queen’s College Cambridge, he came to Australia in 1935 to work in the Bank of New South Wales and keenly participated in economic discussion groups of all kinds. After the war he became an economist in External Affairs under HV Evatt; in 1946 he went to London with Nugget Coombs, and in 1948 he joined Treasury. He was the Australian representative on the International Monetary Fund from 1951 to 1956. His first ministerial appointment, in 1961, was as minister for air. The following year he angered Menzies by publicly stating that there was no need for Australians to worry about the UK’s joining the Common Market. As minister for housing from 1963 to 1966 he introduced the first home buyer’s grant. That year, he was appointed minister for labour and national service, and worked to remove barriers to married women’s employment in the public service, but it was the time of the Vietnam war and he was also responsible for carrying conscription through. As Phillip Lynch was minister for the Army, protesters sometimes chanted ‘Lynch Bury, bury Lynch’. In 1969, he became treasurer, replacing William McMahon, but after eighteen months, when McMahon became prime minister, he was shunted to foreign affairs. Five months later, in August 1971, he was removed; McMahon announced it was due to poor health, but Bury publicly claimed to have been sacked. He retired from parliament in 1974.

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Mrs Lily Kahan 2017
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
© Louis Kahan/Copyright Agency, 2024

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. Works of art from the collection are reproduced as per the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The use of images of works from the collection may be restricted under the Act. Requests for a reproduction of a work of art can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

Artist and subject

Louis Kahan AO

Hon. Les Bury CMG

Donated by

Lily Kahan (52 portraits)

© National Portrait Gallery 2024
King Edward Terrace, Parkes
Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia

Phone +61 2 6102 7000
ABN: 54 74 277 1196

The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

This website comprises and contains copyrighted materials and works. Copyright in all materials and/or works comprising or contained within this website remains with the National Portrait Gallery and other copyright owners as specified.

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. The use of images of works of art reproduced on this website and all other content may be restricted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Requests for a reproduction of a work of art or other content can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

The National Portrait Gallery is an Australian Government Agency