William Gordon Atkinson (14 April 1941 – 4 August 1984) was an Australian farmer and politician who 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

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

from 1983 until his death. Atkinson was born in

Geraldton Geraldton (Wajarri language, Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu language, Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West (Western Australia), Mid West region of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. As of the , Geraldt ...

, to Jessie (née Peden) and Harry Leonard Atkinson. His family moved to Dalwallinu (a small Wheatbelt town) when he was a child, and he attended Northam Senior High School and Muresk Agricultural College. After leaving school, Atkinson farmed at Dalwallinu, becoming prominent in agricultural circles. He first stood for parliament at the 1980 state election, losing to

Harry Gayfer Harry Walter Gayfer (12 August 1925 – 15 July 2021) was an Australian politician who served in both houses of the Parliament of Western Australia. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1962 to 1974, and then a member of the Legisl ...

(the sitting National Country member) in Central Province. Atkinson recontested the seat at the 1983 election, and was elected on just 26.1 percent of

first preferences A first-preference is a voter's most-preferred candidate. In certain ranked systems such as first preference plurality, ranked-choice voting (RCV), and the single transferable vote, first preferences for a candidate are considered most important ...

. However, he served in parliament for just 15 months before dying suddenly in August 1984, aged 43. He had married Olwen Margaret Dowie in 1963, with whom he had four children.William Gordon Atkinson
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 11 September 2016. In a Legislative Council condolence motion after Atkinson's death,

Gordon Masters Gordon Edgar Masters (born 30 August 1931) is a former Australian politician who was a Liberal Party of Australia (Western Australian Division), Liberal Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Council, Legislative Council of Western A ...

said that " oother person in Parliament typified the country people and the farming community better".Legislative Council , Tuesday, 7 August 1984
Hansard (Parliament of Western Australia).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkinson, Gordon 1941 births 1984 deaths Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia 20th-century Australian farmers 20th-century Australian politicians Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council People from Geraldton Farmers from Western Australia