Bert Kyle

Kyle was born in Brunswick, Melbourne, Australia, in 1873. He received his education from The Geelong College and the Melbourne Veterinary College. He was a vet in Ballarat until 1899, when he migrated to New Zealand.{{sfn|Gustafson|1986|p=325}}

He was a New Zealand government vet in Christchurch from 1901 to 1918.New Zealand Gazette No 50, 27 April 1916;, Public Service List of 28 April, p. 1316

Afterwards, he had his private practice in Christchurch.{{sfn|Gustafson|1986|p=325}}

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|end=1942

|term=26th

|electorate=Riccarton

|party=New Zealand National Party

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|party=Independent politician

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The Christchurch electorate of Riccarton was contested by three candidates in the {{NZ election link|1922}}. George Witty was successful, with Kyle coming second and Jack McCullough coming third.{{cite news |title=South Island Seats |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=OSWCC19221212.2.38.2 |access-date=19 February 2012| work=Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle |date=12 December 1922 |volume=XVIII |issue=909}} Kyle won the Riccarton electorate in the 1925 election, and held it to 1943 when he was defeated (he withdrew).{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=211}}

Kyle resigned from the National Party in 1942.{{sfn|Wood|1996|p=117}} He stated:

"The National Party organization has built up a watertight compartment that makes one become a 'yes man' with expulsion as an alternative". Kyle thought it "better to retire from the party than to place on it the onus of expulsion, a point which the gentleman (Sid Holland) who moved the resolution was expounding when I left the caucus meeting".{{sfn|Milne|1966|p=141}}{{cite news | url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19421005.2.66 | title=Mr. Kyle's position | date=5 October 1942 | work=The Evening Post | access-date=13 June 2015 | page=4}} Kyle remained an Independent until 1943, but did not contest the election in that year.

In 1935, Kyle was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.{{cite news |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19350506.2.12 |title=Official jubilee medals |date=6 May 1935 |work= Evening Post |access-date=1 September 2013 |page=4}} He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for public and local government services, in the 1953 New Year Honours.{{London Gazette |issue=39735 |date=1 January 1953 |page=44 |supp=4}}

Kyle died on 5 January 1955,{{sfn|Gustafson|1986|p=325}} and was buried in Bromley Cemetery.{{cite web |url=http://heritage.christchurchcitylibraries.com/Cemeteries/interment.asp?id=117285 |title=Cemeteries database results detail |publisher=Christchurch City Council |access-date=13 June 2015}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book |last = Gustafson |first = Barry |author-link = Barry Gustafson |title = The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party |year = 1986 |publisher = Reed Methuen |location = Auckland |isbn = 0-474-00177-6 }}
• {{cite book |last = Milne |first = Robert Stephen |title = Political Parties in New Zealand |url=https://archive.org/details/politicalparties0000miln |url-access=registration |place = Oxford, England |publisher = Clarendon Press |year = 1966}}
• {{cite book |last= Wilson |first= James Oakley |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 |edition= 4th |orig-year=First published in 1913 |year= 1985 |publisher=V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer |location= Wellington |oclc= 154283103}}
• {{cite book |editor-last= Wood |editor-first=G A |title=Ministers and Members in the New Zealand |year=1996 |publisher=Otago University Press |location=Dunedin}}

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{{s-bef|before=George Witty}}

{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament for Riccarton|years=1925–1943}}

{{s-aft|after=Jack Watts}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyle, Bert}}

Category:1873 births

Category:1955 deaths

Category:Burials at Bromley Cemetery

Category:Independent MPs of New Zealand

Category:New Zealand farmers

Category:New Zealand MPs for Christchurch electorates

Category:New Zealand National Party MPs

Category:Reform Party (New Zealand) MPs

Category:New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire

Category:Australian emigrants to New Zealand

Category:Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives

Category:New Zealand veterinarians

Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1922 New Zealand general election

Category:People educated at Geelong College

Category:Chancellors of Lincoln University (New Zealand)

Category:People from Brunswick, Victoria