Johan Wilfred John "Mick" Mibus, known as Wilfred Mibus or Mick Mibus (14 September 1900 – 18 April 1964) was an Australian politician. He was a Country Party representative of the

electoral district of Lowan The electoral district of Lowan is a rural Victorian Legislative Assembly (Lower House) electoral district of the Victorian Parliament. It is located within the Western Victoria Region of the Legislative Council. It was initially created by ' ...

(called Borung from 1945 to 1955) from 1944 until his death in 1964.

Early life

Wilfred Mibus was born in 1900 in the small settlement of Katyil, near

Dimboola, Victoria Dimboola is a town in the Shire of Hindmarsh in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia, 334 kilometres north-west of Melbourne. History Situated on the Wimmera River, Dimboola was previously known as 'Nine Creeks'. Following a surve ...

, to pioneer farmer Carl August Mibus and his wife Mathilda Nuske. Mibus studied for the

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

ministry at Concordia College in Adelaide, South Australia. He also attempted three years of a medical degree at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

, but gave up his studies due to severe

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

.Mibus, (Johan) Wilfred John
''Re-member'', Parliament of Victoria.

Political career

Mibus worked as a campaign manager for his friend, Hamilton Lamb, who was the Member for Lowan from 1935 until 1943. Lamb died as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

in a Japanese internment camp on the

Burma Railway The Burma Railway, also known as the Siam–Burma Railway, Thai–Burma Railway and similar names, or as the Death Railway, is a railway between Ban Pong, Thailand, and Thanbyuzayat, Burma (now called Myanmar). It was built from 1940 to 1943 ...

, and in his will, recommended that Mibus replace him in Lowan. Mibus was duly elected at the Lowan by-election on 4 November 1944. In 1949, Mibus was one of six Country MPs who defected to the

Liberal and Country Party The Victorian Liberal Party, officially known as the Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division), and branded as Liberal Victoria, is the state division of the Liberal Party of Australia in Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It was formed in ...

formed by

Thomas Hollway Thomas Tuke Hollway (2 October 1906 – 30 July 1971) was the 36th Premier of Victoria, and the first to be born in the 20th century. He held office from 1947 to 1950, and again for a short period in 1952. He was originally a member and the lea ...

from the Victorian division of 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 ...

. The Country Party branded Mibus a "rebel" for his actions, and ran a Country candidate against him in Borung at the 1950 state election. Mibus was re-elected, and stated that the electors of Borung had endorsed his change of parties. Mibus died in office on 18 April 1964. He left an estate worth £A38,902 to his widow Dora, his son and his daughter. No

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

was held for Lowan as a state election was held on 27 June that year, with

Jim McCabe James McCabe may refer to: *James D. McCabe (1842–1883), American author *James McCabe (judge) (1844–1911), Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court *James H. McCabe (1870–1957), American lawyer and politician *Jimmy McCabe (1918–1989), Norther ...

retaining the seat for the Liberal and Country Party.McCabe, James Edmund
''Re-member'', Parliament of Victoria.

References

External links

Parliamentary Biography
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Mibus, Wilfred 1900 births 1964 deaths Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria 20th-century Australian farmers Australian Lutherans 20th-century Australian politicians 20th-century Lutherans Ministers for water (Victoria) Ministers of mines (Victoria)