David Eric Fairbairn was born on 3 March 1917 at Claygate in Surrey, England. He was educated at Geelong Grammar School in Victoria, and Jesus College at Cambridge University where he also rowed in Head of the River crews (1937-38). In 1939, he took over a pastoral property at Woomargama (NSW). The Fairbairn family had been on the land in Australia since the 1850s, in central Queensland and in the Deniliquin area, before buying 25,000 acres at Woomargama in the 1920s. He sold the 3,500-acre property 'Dunraven' at Woomargama, about 30 miles north east of Albury, in 1971.

During World War II, Fairbairn served in the 21 Light Horse (Riverina) Regiment, Commonwealth Military Forces (1939-41) and with the Royal Australian Air Force in England and New Guinea (1941-45). He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and discharged with the rank of Flight Lieutenant.  

Elected to federal Parliament in December 1949 as Member for Farrer (NSW), representing the Liberal Party, Fairbairn retained the seat until retiring prior to the December 1975 general elections. In successive Menzies, Holt, Gorton and McMahon Liberal Coalition Governments, he was Minister for Air (1962-64), Minister for National Development (1964-69), Minister for Education and Science (1971) and Minister for Defence (1971-72). He also acted as Minister for Supply (1963) and Minister for Civil Aviation (1971); was Chairman of the Commonwealth Immigration Planning Council (1960-62) and Australian Forestry Council (1965-69); Leader of the Government in the House (1966); and served on Parliamentary committees relating to Foreign Affairs (1960-62 and Chairman, 1970-71), the National Capital and External Territories (1961) and the Parliamentary Committee System (1974-75).

Fairbairn stood unsuccessfully for the Liberal Party leadership on at least one occasion (November 1969) and, during the Whitlam Labor Government, was a member of the Liberal Party's Opposition Executive and spokesman on National Development (1972-74). After leaving federal politics, he was appointed Australian Ambassador to the Netherlands (1977-80).

Sir David Fairbairn was made a Knight Commander in the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 1977 and died in 1994.  

Sources: 

Commonwealth Directory, July 1965, p 123
Parliamentary Handbook 1975, pp 105-6; 1976, p 205
Who's Who in Australia 1992, p 425

Agency associated with person unregistered

    1958-    1958: Australian Delegation to the 13th Session of the
                   General Assembly of the United Nations, New York -
                   Member
Apr 1965-Apr 1965: Visited New Zealand for 50th Anniversary of Anzac
                   Day
Aug 1965-Aug 1965: Meeting of the Australian Forestry Council, New
                   Guinea - Chairman
Jun 1966-Jun 1966: Australian Forestry Council - Chairman leading the
                   Australian Delegation to the Sixth World Forestry
                   Congress, Madrid (elected Vice-President of
                   Congress)
May 1967-Jun 1967: Australian Delegation to the Water for Peace
                   Conference, Washington - Leader
Feb 1969-Feb 1969: Visited New Zealand for Forestry Conference
                   Wellington
Jun 1970-Jun 1970: Inter-Parliamentary Union Conference, Taipeh -
                   Australian Observer
Dec 1970-Dec 1970: Inter-Parliamentary Union Conference, Saigon -
                   Australian Observer