Sir William Stewart Bovell (19 December 1906 – 15 September 1999) was an Australian politician who was a member of the

Western Australian Legislative Assembly The Western Australian Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Western Australia, an Australian state. The Parliament sits in Parliament House, Perth, Parliament House in the Western Australian capi ...

for the electorates of

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

and Vasse between 1947 and 1971. Bovell served as a minister for over a decade under the premiership of Sir

David Brand Sir David Brand Order of St Michael and St George, KCMG (1 August 1912 – 15 April 1979) was an Australian politician. He was the longest-serving premier of Western Australia, in office from 1959 to 1971, and was state leader of the Liberal Pa ...

Early life

Bovell was born in

Busselton, Western Australia Busselton is a city in the South West region of the state of Western Australia approximately south-west of Perth. Busselton has a long history as a popular holiday destination for Western Australians; however, the closure of the Busselton ...

in 1906. He attended the Busselton Central School. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he served 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 ...

(RAAF), reaching the rank of flight lieutenant.

Public life

After the death of sitting member for Sussex,

William Willmott William Henry Francis Willmott (16 May 1895 – 2 May 1947) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1938 until his death, representing the seat of Sussex. Willmott was born in Bussel ...

, Bovell was endorsed by the

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 ...

for the seat. At the resultant by-election in June 1947, Bovell was elected to the

Western Australian Parliament The Parliament of Western Australia is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Western Australia, which constitutes the legislative branch of the state's political system. The parliament consists of the King (represented by the gov ...

, winning an absolute majority of votes against two unendorsed Liberal candidates. His uncle, George Barnard had held the seat between 1924 and 1933. Sussex was abolished in 1950, and Bovell followed most of his constituents into the new seat of Vasse, which he held without difficulty for the rest of his career. In 1959 Bovell was appointed Minister for Lands, Forests and Immigration, serving in these ministries until 1971. Between 1961 and 1962 he also took the role of Minister for Labour. Bovell was posted to London as

Agent-General for Western Australia An Agent-General ( or , masculine and feminine respectively) is the representative in cities abroad of the government of a Canadian province or an Australian state and, historically, also of a British colony in Jamaica, Nigeria, Canada, Malta, ...

in 1971. He served in this role until 1974.

Later life and death

After returning from London, Bovell retired to Busselton. He died in September 1999 at the age of 92.

Honours and legacy

Bovell was made a knight bachelor in 1976 for services to Western Australia. He received the

accolade The accolade (also known as dubbing, adoubement, or knighting) () was the central act in the rite of passage Ceremony, ceremonies conferring knighthood in the Middle Ages. Etymology The term ''accolade'' entered English by 1591, when Thomas ...

from

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

in 1977.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bovell, Stewart 1906 births 1999 deaths People from Busselton Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia Australian Knights Bachelor Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Agents-General for Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly 20th-century Australian politicians