Bjelke-Petersen is the name of an Australian family of both Danish and Swedish descent. The common ancestors of the Australian family is Georg Peter Bjelke-Petersen, a Danish farmer and master-builder, and his wife Caroline Vilhelmine (maiden name Hansen). They came to Australia with their children in 1891. Born plain Petersen, Georg hyphenated his name some time in the 1860s. ^[1]

[edit] Politics

The Bjelke-Petersens have had an impact on politics in Queensland, at both state and Commonwealth levels, for 60 years.

• Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen was a farmer and later Premier of Queensland between 1968 and 1987; He was the member for Nanango from 1946 to 1950 and for Barambah from 1950 to 1987. He was Georg Peter Bjelke-Petersen's grandson.

• Flo Bjelke-Petersen, Joh Belke-Petersen's wife, represented Queensland in the Australian Senate between 1981 and 1993 serving as Deputy Leader of the National Party of Australia in the Senate between 1985 and 1990;

• John Bjelke-Petersen, Joh Bjelke-Petersen's son, was preselected on 3 November 2005 as the candidate in the seat of Nanango at the 2006 state election for the National Party. He lost the election to the current member, Dorothy Pratt.

[edit] Other pursuits

• Hans Bjelke-Petersen (1872-1964) founded the Bjelke-Petersen School of Physical Culture in 1892 - as of 2005, there were 180 associated clubs throughout Australia. He was Georg Peter Bjelke-Petersen's son.

• Marie Bjelke Petersen (1874-1969) was an Australian novelist. Note the lack of hyphen in her version of this name. She was Georg Peter Bjelke-Petersen's daughter.

[edit] References