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Bill Grayden
Bill Grayden MP.jpg
Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
In office
7 April 1956 – 6 February 1993
Preceded by George Yates
Succeeded by Phillip Pendal
Constituency South Perth
In office
15 March 1947 – 27 October 1949
Preceded by James Hegney
Succeeded by James Hegney
Constituency Middle Swan
Member of the Australian House of Representatives for Swan
In office
10 December 1949 – 29 May 1954
Preceded by Len Hamilton
Succeeded by Harry Webb
Personal details
Born
Wilbur Ives

(1920-08-05) 5 August 1920 (age 105)
Bickley, Western Australia
Political party Liberal
Spouse
Betsy Marie Chadwick
(m. 1948; died 2007)
Children 10
Relatives
  • David Grayden (brother)
  • Nat Harper (grandfather)
Residences South Perth, Western Australia
Profession Mechanical engineer
Military career
Allegiance  Australia
Service/branch Second Australian Imperial Force
Years of service 1940–1946
Rank Captain
Service number WX8868
Unit 2/16th Battalion
Battles/wars
Awards Member of the Order of Australia

William Leonard Grayden, born Wilbur Ives on August 5, 1920, was an Australian politician. He was a member of parliament for a very long time, serving across six decades. He was part of the Western Australian Parliament and also the Australian Parliament.

Grayden was a veteran of World War II. He mostly belonged to the Liberal Party, but for a short time, he was an independent politician. In the national parliament, he was a regular member. Later, he became a minister in the state government led by Charles Court. His brother, David Grayden, and his grandfather, Nat Harper, were also members of parliament.

Early Life and Military Service

Grayden was born Wilbur Ives on August 5, 1920, in Bickley, Western Australia. He was one of three children. His younger brother, David, also became a politician. Grayden's father fought in World War I. After his parents separated, his mother remarried, and the children took their stepfather's last name, Grayden. His grandfather, Nat Harper, was a well-known businessman and politician in Western Australia.

Grayden went to state schools and then to Perth Technical College. He started an apprenticeship as a motor mechanic in 1938. When World War II began in September 1939, he tried to join the Australian Army but was not accepted. He succeeded the next year by saying he was older than he was.

Grayden joined the 2/16th Infantry Battalion as a private soldier. He was quickly promoted to corporal and then chosen to attend Officer Training School. He served in the Syria–Lebanon Campaign and then in New Guinea in 1942. There, he took part in the Kokoda Track campaign and other important battles. He finished the war in Borneo, fighting in the Battle of Balikpapan.

Grayden's Political Career

Grayden served a total of 43 years in both State and Federal Parliaments.

Starting in State and Federal Politics: 1946–1954

In 1946, Grayden ran as an independent candidate in a federal election. In 1947, he was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. He became the Liberal member for Middle Swan. At that time, he was the youngest member of the parliament.

In 1949, Grayden moved to the Australian House of Representatives, winning the seat of Swan for the Liberals. He said his main interest in parliament would be defence. He was re-elected in 1951. However, he lost his seat in the 1954 election to Harry Webb from the Australian Labor Party.

Grayden was known for some interesting public actions during his time in parliament. In 1950, he sent whale meat from a station in Carnarvon to Canberra. It was served on the parliamentary menu. In December 1950, he started "Operation Corks." This was a plan to see how much pollution was in the Swan River from Fremantle Harbour. He dropped hundreds of colored corks into the river to track them. In 1953, Grayden led a trip to Central Australia. He was looking for clues about the lost Leichhardt expedition. His group found some old items, but none were linked to Leichhardt.

Returning to State Politics: 1956–1993

In 1956, Grayden returned to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. He won the seat of South Perth. He ran as a Liberal candidate who was not officially supported by the party. He won again in 1959 as an "independent Liberal," once more defeating the official party candidate. After this, he was accepted as a member of the Liberal and Country League.

Grayden was very interested in Indigenous affairs. In 1956, he told parliament that British nuclear tests could harm many Aboriginal people. He said it would be hard to warn them because they moved around a lot. In the same year, he led a parliamentary inquiry into the lives of remote Indigenous peoples. The report, known as the Grayden Report, was released in December 1956. It showed the difficult situation of many Wongi peoples. This led to a lot of public discussion and action. It also helped start a national movement for the rights of Indigenous Australians.

In 1957, Grayden, along with another politician Stan Lapham and Aboriginal pastor Douglas Nicholls, went back to the Ngaanyatjarra area. They used a film camera to record the conditions. The film, called Their Darkest Hour, was shown at public meetings across Australia. It was one of the first activist documentaries in Australia. Grayden also released a book of black and white photographs called Adam and Atoms.

In 1974, Grayden became a minister in Charles Court's government. He was in charge of areas like Labour and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Immigration, and Tourism. In 1976, he introduced a law to stop compulsory trade union membership. Grayden left his minister role in 1978 after a personal incident. He returned to the ministry in 1980 as Minister for Education, Cultural Affairs, and Recreation. Grayden was removed from the ministry in 1982 when Charles Court retired. He left the Assembly in 1993.

Later Life

In 2015, when he was 94 years old, Grayden visited Gallipoli. He went to remember the 100th anniversary of the landing at Anzac Cove, where his father had fought.

Grayden turned 100 years old in 2020. He is the earliest elected federal Member of Parliament who is still alive. He is also the last surviving MP first elected before 1961. In an interview in 2019, he shared his memories of famous politicians like Robert Menzies and Ben Chifley.

Family Life

Grayden married Betsy Marie Chadwick on July 31, 1948. They had ten children together, five sons and five daughters. As of December 2019, he had 36 grandchildren and 34 great-grandchildren. His son, Jim, also ran for parliament in 2018 and 2019.

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