Bill Rigby (politician)
Encyclopedia
William Matthew Rigby was an Australia
n politician. He was an Australian Labor Party
member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
from 1959 to 1965, representing the electorate of Hurstville
.
Rigby was born in Newcastle
, and educated at Summer Hill High School in Sydney
. He worked as a clerk in the stores branch of the Railways Department prior to entering state politics. He served as a private in the Second Australian Imperial Force
during World War II
from 1943 to 1945, returning to his prior role as a clerk thereafter. He was seconded for a year as private secretary to state Minister for Housing Clive Evatt
in 1952-1953; the subsequent decision of the Public Service Board not to retain his services led to legal action on Rigby's part. He was elected to the City of Rockdale
council in 1953, serving until his election to parliament in 1959.
Rigby was preselected as the Labor candidate for Hurstville at the 1959 state election
, challenging incumbent MLA Evatt, who had fallen out with the party and was contesting the election as an independent. He easily won the seat, with Evatt finishing third behind the Liberal candidate. He was comfortably re-elected in 1962, but was narrowly defeated by Liberal candidate Tom Mead in 1965, amidst Labor's large statewide defeat that year.
Rigby remained involved in public life after his parliamentary defeat, serving as president of the Miscellaneous Workers' Union
from 1966 to 1973. He also served for a time as a special adviser to Senator Doug McClelland, and was involved in a number of Aboriginal social welfare groups. He died in 2003.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician. He was an Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
from 1959 to 1965, representing the electorate of Hurstville
Electoral district of Hurstville
Hurstville was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, named after and including the Sydney suburb of Hurstville....
.
Rigby was born in Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, and educated at Summer Hill High School in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. He worked as a clerk in the stores branch of the Railways Department prior to entering state politics. He served as a private in the Second Australian Imperial Force
Second Australian Imperial Force
The Second Australian Imperial Force was the name given to the volunteer personnel of the Australian Army in World War II. Under the Defence Act , neither the part-time Militia nor the full-time Permanent Military Force could serve outside Australia or its territories unless they volunteered to...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
from 1943 to 1945, returning to his prior role as a clerk thereafter. He was seconded for a year as private secretary to state Minister for Housing Clive Evatt
Clive Evatt
Clive Evatt QC was an Australian politician, barrister and raconteur. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1939 until 1959. At various times he sat as a member of the Industrial Labor Party, ALP and as an independent.-Early life:Evatt was born in Maitland and was the...
in 1952-1953; the subsequent decision of the Public Service Board not to retain his services led to legal action on Rigby's part. He was elected to the City of Rockdale
City of Rockdale
The City of Rockdale is a Local Government Area in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The city centre is located 12 kilometres south-south-west of the Sydney central business district, on the western shores of Botany Bay...
council in 1953, serving until his election to parliament in 1959.
Rigby was preselected as the Labor candidate for Hurstville at the 1959 state election
New South Wales state election, 1959
The 1959 New South Wales state election was held on 21 March 1959. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1957 redistribution...
, challenging incumbent MLA Evatt, who had fallen out with the party and was contesting the election as an independent. He easily won the seat, with Evatt finishing third behind the Liberal candidate. He was comfortably re-elected in 1962, but was narrowly defeated by Liberal candidate Tom Mead in 1965, amidst Labor's large statewide defeat that year.
Rigby remained involved in public life after his parliamentary defeat, serving as president of the Miscellaneous Workers' Union
Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union
United Voice, formerly known as the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union is a large Australian trade union, with around 130,000 members...
from 1966 to 1973. He also served for a time as a special adviser to Senator Doug McClelland, and was involved in a number of Aboriginal social welfare groups. He died in 2003.