Percy Victor Feltham (24 May 1902 – 24 October 1986) was an Australian politician. He was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

to factory storeman Charles Edward Feltham and Annie Clarke, and was orphaned by the age of fourteen. He attended

Melbourne High School Melbourne High School is a Education in Australia#Government schools, government-funded Single-sex education, single-sex Selective school, academically selective secondary school, secondary day school for boys, located in the Melbourne suburb o ...

and the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb n ...

, where he received a

Master of Law A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

. He became a solicitor in

Shepparton Shepparton () ( Yortayorta: ''Kanny-goopna'') is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in northern Victoria, Australia, approximately north-northeast of Melbourne. As of the 2021 census, the estimated population of Sheppart ...

. On 16 November 1929 he married Sylvia Josephine Box, with whom he had two children. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

he served first in the AIF and then in the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

, in which he rose to the rank of

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historic ...

and was attached to the staff of General Douglas MacArthur. He was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in 1943. After the war he returned to his law practice, and also farmed at

Wyuna ''Wyuna'' is a former Port Phillip Pilot tender and Australian Maritime College training vessel. History The ship was built in 1953 by Ferguson Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow, Scotland for the Port Phillip Sea Pilots organisation as a pilot cutte ...

. In 1955 he was elected to the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative C ...

as a Country Party member for Northern Province. In 1965 he left the Country Party after falling out with leader

George Moss George Moss may refer to: * George Moss (politician) (1913–1985), Australian politician * George Moss (rapper) (born 1982), American Christian hip hop musician {{hndis, Moss, George ...

over the

presidency of the Council A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified by a ...

, and became an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

. He was defeated in 1967. Feltham died in 1986.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Feltham, Percy 1902 births 1986 deaths National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Independent members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Council Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century Australian politicians Australian Army personnel of World War II Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Australian Air Force officers