[1] After studying at the University of Sydney and earning an LLB,[2] he worked in agriculture in New South Wales, Northern Territory and Queensland between 1927 and 1939.
[3] During World War II he served in the Australian Imperial Force, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
[2] After returning to the University of Sydney to study at its law school from 1946 to 1947, he joined the Lands Department of Northern Territory.
After a brief spell working in the Crown Law Office in Darwin in 1950 and 1951, he was appointed Assistant Director of Lands and Surveys in the territory, also becoming a member of its Legislative Council.
In 1952 he was appointed Director of Lands, Surveys and Mines in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea, becoming a member of the Legislative Council the following year.