Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Choice in Childcare and Early Learning) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to record the very remarkable life of Bill Grayden AM, who passed away in Perth on 28 April at the age of 105. Born in Bickley, Western Australia in 1920, Bill was determined to serve his country. When the Second World War broke out, he was rejected for being underage. Undeterred, he tried again the following year, changing his name and age to enlist in 1940 with the 2/16th Battalion, continuing a proud family tradition, as his father had served at Gallipoli. During the war Bill served in the Middle East and New Guinea, including along the Kokoda Track and at the Battle of Buna-Gona, and later in Borneo at the Balikpapan landings in 1945. He finished the war with the rank of captain and returned home in 1946.

In 1947, at age 27, he entered state politics as the member for Middle Swan, winning by just 51 votes. In 1949 he was elected the federal member for Swan as part of the Robert Menzies landslide before returning to state politics in 1956 as the member for South Perth. Over nearly four decades Bill served with distinction, including as a minister in the Court government, before retiring in 1993. Bill Grayden lived a remarkable life of service and was part of the greatest generation, who endured hardship and, through quiet determination and sacrifice, gave so much to the nation they loved. To Bill's family and to all those who survive him: my deepest condolences. May he rest in peace.