[3] In 1930 he married Elizabeth "Betty" Hornabrook Bonython (25 January 1907 – 25 September 2008), born in Adelaide, the eldest daughter of Advertiser editor, and lord mayor of Adelaide, Sir John Lavington Bonython (1875–1960) and his first wife Blanche Ada Bray (1881–1908).

She would be very active in community affairs, serving on the boards of a number of organisations, in recognition of which she was appointed MBE in 1946,[4] and CBE in 1959.

[5] In the 1934 Australian federal election he was, with J. L. Price, nominated by the Liberal and Country League for the seat of Boothby.

[2] He was not re-elected in 1943, so when his term ended, he went on active service and became a "Rat of Tobruk", serving with the 2/7th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, in North Africa, and subsequently in Borneo.

[9] After his return, he stood in the 1949 election for the Liberal Party of Australia (which had absorbed the UAP in 1944) as its candidate in the newly created seat of Sturt, and won.