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 in the Western Australian capital, Perth. The Legislat ...

for the electorates of Sussex 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 KCMG (1 August 1912 – 15 April 1979) was an Australian politician. A member of the Liberal Party, he was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1945 to 1975, and also the 19th and longest-serving Pr ...

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, 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 in the

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

(RAAF), reaching the rank of flight lieutenant.

Public life

After the death of sitting member for Sussex, William Willmott, 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. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a l ...

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, forming the legislative branch of the Government of Western Australia. The parliament consists of a lower house, the Legislative A ...

, 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 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 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 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022 ...

in Canberra 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