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 simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms ...

(ALP) and held the

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

seat of Cook in the

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

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 area of the ...

. He completed a certificate in electrical engineering at

Sydney Technical College The Sydney Technical College, now known as the TAFE New South Wales Sydney Institute, is a technical school established in 1878, that superseded the Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts.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 in ...

and subsequently worked as an engineering officer.

Politics

Thorburn served on the Sutherland Shire Council 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 located 26 kilometres south of the S ...

branch of the ALP from 1956 to 1970. At the 1972 federal election, Thorburn defeated the incumbent Liberal MP Don Dobie in the seat of Cook. 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 20th-century Australian politicians Mayors of places in New South Wales {{Australia-Labor-representative-stub