Raymond William Thorburn (15 November 1930 – 30 January 1986) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also known as the Labor Party or simply Labor, is the major Centre-left politics, centre-left List of political parties in Australia, political party in Australia and one of two Major party, major parties in Po ...

(ALP) and held the

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

seat of

Cook Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (profession), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * C ...

in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

from 1972 to 1975. He was an electrical engineer by profession.

Early life

Thorburn was born on 15 November 1930 in

Sutherland, New South Wales Sutherland is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sutherland is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the Local government in Australia, ...

. He completed a certificate in electrical engineering at

Sydney Technical College The Sydney Technical College, now part of TAFE NSW, is a technical school established in 1878, that superseded the Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts. The college is one of Australia's oldest technical education institutions. History The Sydney M ...

and subsequently worked as an engineering officer.

Politics

Thorburn served on the

Sutherland Shire Council Sutherland Shire is a local government area (LGA) in the southern region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sutherland Shire is located approximately south-southwest of the Sydney CBD, and comprises an area of . As at the ...

from 1964 to 1973, including as shire president from 1971 to 1972. He was also vice-president of the

Cronulla Cronulla is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Boasting numerous surf beaches and swimming spots, the suburb attracts both tourists and Greater Sydney residents. Cronulla is 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central ...

branch of the ALP from 1956 to 1970. At the 1972 federal election, Thorburn defeated the incumbent

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

Don Dobie James Donald Mathieson Dobie (28 July 1927 – 25 November 1996) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Liberal Party and served in the House of Representatives for over 25 years, representing the seats of Hughes (1966–1969) and ...

in the seat of

. He was re-elected in 1974 but lost his seat to Dobie in the ALP's landslide defeat at the 1975 election. He made three unsuccessful attempts to reclaim the seat from Dobie, and remains the only member of the ALP to have held Cook. Thorburn was a member of the House Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs from 1973 to 1975 and was a parliamentary representative on the

Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...

Personal life

Thorburn had two children with his wife Joan. He died on 30 January 1986 at the age of 55.

References

1930 births 1986 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Cook Members of the Australian House of Representatives People from the Sutherland Shire Mayors of places in New South Wales Australian MPs 1972–1974 Australian MPs 1974–1975 {{Australia-Labor-representative-stub