People Australia

  • searches all National Centre of Biography websites
  • searches all National Centre of Biography websites
  • searches all National Centre of Biography websites

Browse People:

Browse Lists:

Cultural Advice

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website contains names, images, and voices of deceased persons.

In addition, some articles contain terms or views that were acceptable within mainstream Australian culture in the period in which they were written, but may no longer be considered appropriate.

These articles do not necessarily reflect the views of The Australian National University.

Older articles are being reviewed with a view to bringing them into line with contemporary values but the original text will remain available for historical context.

Frank Hardy (1917–1994)

This article was published:

Frank Hardy, by Viva Gibb, 1988

Frank Hardy, by Viva Gibb, 1988

State Library of Victoria, 49193865

Francis Joseph (Frank) Hardy (1917-1994) cartoonist, writer and Communist

Birth: 21 March 1917 at Southern Cross, Victoria, son of native-born parents Thomas John Hardy (1881-1943) milk grader, and Winifred Mary, née Bourke (1887-1958). Marriage: 27 May 1940 at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne, to Rosslyn Phyllis Couper (1919-1981), a stenographer, born at Canterbury, New South Wales. Death: 28 January 1994 at North Carlton, Melbourne. 

  • Born near Warrnambool into a Catholic family, Frank was educated at the Christian Brothers’ College and State schools until the age of thirteen. He was then employed as a fruit picker, seaman and factory worker. He moved to Melbourne in 1938 and worked as a cartoonist.
  • He joined the Communist Party of Australia in 1940. He served in Australia in World War II.
  • Hardy supported Aboriginal causes. He gained public interest as a declared Communist and appeared in theatre, radio, television series and as a print journalist.
  • He was the author of several books including Power Without Glory (1950), which focused on corruption and power in Victorian politics and later was produced as an Australian Broadcasting Commission television series. He also wrote Journey into the Future (1952). The Yarns of Billy Borker (1965), But the Dead are Many (1975) and The Unlucky Australians (1976).
  • Cause of death: myocardial infarct (minutes), coronary artery disease (7 years) and cerebrovascular accident (1 year). 

Sources
John Playford, Doctrinal and strategic problems of the Communist Party of Australia, 1945-1962, PhD thesis, ANU, 1962, p 422; Sydney Morning Herald, 29 January 1994; Hal Alexander’s speech given at the Frank Hardy Memorial Meeting, Jim Healy Hall, Waterside Workers’ Federation, Sydney, 13 March 1994.

This person appears as a part of the Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 19. [View Article]

Additional Resources and Scholarship

Related Entries in NCB Sites

view family tree

Citation details

'Hardy, Frank (1917–1994)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/hardy-frank-19531/text44710, accessed 13 November 2025.

© Copyright People Australia, 2012

Frank Hardy, by Viva Gibb, 1988

Frank Hardy, by Viva Gibb, 1988

State Library of Victoria, 49193865

Life Summary [details]

Alternative Names
  • Hardy, Francis Joseph
  • Franklyn, Ross
Birth

21 March, 1917
Southern Cross, Victoria, Australia

Death

28 January, 1994 (aged 76)
Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Cause of Death

heart disease

Religious Influence

Includes the religion in which subjects were raised, have chosen themselves, attendance at religious schools and/or religious funeral rites; Atheism and Agnosticism have been included.

Education
Occupation or Descriptor
Military Service
Key Events
Key Organisations
Political Activism
Workplaces