William Archibald Borthwick (20 November 1924 – 31 July 2001) was an Australian politician. Borthwick was a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

member of the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the states and territories of Australia, state lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the state upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament H ...

for the electorates of

Scoresby Scoresby may refer to: People * William Scoresby (1789–1857), British Arctic explorer, scientist and clergyman * William F. Scoresby (1840–1884), New York politician * William Scoresby Routledge (1859–1939), British ethnographer, anthropolog ...

(1960–1967) and

Monbulk Monbulk is a town in Victoria, Australia, 42 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Monbulk recorded a population of 3,651 at the 2021 census. The town is the h ...

(1967–1982).Re-Member: Borthwick, William Archibald
Parliament of Victoria.

Early life and military service

Borthwick was born in Murrayville in north-western

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, and attended state schools in Cowangie and

Walpeup Walpeup is a town in the Mallee region of north west Victoria. The town is in the Rural City of Mildura local government area and on the Mallee Highway and Pinnaroo railway line between Ouyen and the South Australian border, north west of the ...

before gaining a scholarship to study at

Ballarat Grammar School Ballarat and Queen's Anglican Grammar School is a private school, private, Mixed-sex education, co-educational, Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican, Day school, day and Boarding school, boarding school located in Wendouree, Victoria, Wendouree ...

between 1936 and 1939.Leaders pay tribute to great Victorian
''Ballarat Courier'', 8 August 2001. From 1940 to 1957, he was a bank officer for the

State Bank of Victoria The State Bank of Victoria was an Australian bank that existed from 1842 until 1990 when it was taken over by the Commonwealth Bank. It was owned by the Government of Victoria, State of Victoria. History A government-controlled savings bank had ...

, then worked as an insurance representative. In December 1942, Borthwick enlisted in the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

.BORTHWICK, WILLIAM ARCHIBALD
WW2 Nominal Roll. He served as a fighter pilot in England, Italy and Yugoslavia, and received a special award from the Yugoslavian government for his efforts in protecting Yugoslavia during World War II.

Political career

Borthwick was elected to the

in a September 1960 by-election for the seat of

triggered by the death of the sitting MP, Sir George Knox. At the 1967 state election, Borthwick switched to the new seat of

. Bill Borthwick made a significant contribution to Victoria's environmental policies through the establishment of the Land Conservation Council in 1971 (no
Victorian Environmental Assessment Council
which insulated controversial public land management recommendations from political interference.

Honours

In the 1987 Queen's Birthday honours, Borthwick was made a Member of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

(AM) in recognition of service to the Victorian parliament and to the community.BORTHWICK, William Archibald
''It's an Honour'', 8 June 1987.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borthwick, Bill 1924 births 2001 deaths Australian monarchists Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Ministers for health (Victoria) Ministers for conservation (Victoria) Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Order of Australia Deputy premiers of Victoria Royal Australian Air Force officers Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II People from Murrayville, Victoria 20th-century Australian politicians People educated at Ballarat Grammar School Military personnel from Victoria (state) Ministers for water (Victoria)