[2] He was the National Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Murrumbidgee from 1984 to 1999.
He spent time in coubtries in the southern and eastern parts of the African Continent as a miner and prospector before returning to Australia to farm.
[3] In 1984, Cruickshank was selected as the National candidate for the state seat of Murrumbidgee, which was being vacated by sitting Labor member Lin Gordon.
Cruickshank finished third on the primary votes behind Labor candidate Margaret Delves and independent Thomas Marriott, but with Liberal preferences pushed into second place and was elected the victor on Marriott's preferences, with a margin of 51.52%.
[4] Partly due to redistributions which greatly strengthened the National Party in Murrumbidgee, Cruickshank faced no further serious challenges and was re-elected in 1988,[5] 1991,[6] and 1995.