Western Australia is preparing to bid a final farewell to decorated World War II veteran and former parliamentarian Bill Grayden at a State funeral. Mr. Grayden passed away at the age of 105 on April 28 following a brief illness.
A Life of Service
Born in Perth in 1920, Mr. Grayden served in the Middle East and was part of the force that defeated pro-German Vichy French troops in Syria. He was later deployed to Papua New Guinea’s infamous Kokoda Trail before moving to Borneo, where he remained until the war ended.
In 1947, at just 27 years old, Mr. Grayden was elected as the Liberal MP for Middle Swan, making him the youngest member of Parliament at the time. He resigned in 1949 to pursue federal politics, becoming a member of the Menzies Government, where he campaigned to lift the ban on manganese exports.
Mr. Grayden re-entered State politics in 1956, holding the seat of South Perth until his retirement in 1993. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1994 and is recognized as the longest-serving member of the Parliamentary Liberal Party.
Family and Legacy
Mr. Grayden married his wife Betsy in 1949, and they remained together until her death in 2007. Together, they had 10 children, 36 grandchildren, and at least 50 great-grandchildren.
In a statement, his son James Grayden described his father as an excellent role model. “He was a doer, not a talker, and if he set his mind to a task he would see it through whatever the odds,” he said last month. “He instilled in all of us a love of the outdoors and nature and for seeing what was around the next corner. His curiosity and readiness to adopt emerging technology remained with him to the end, and he was fascinated with the possibility of driverless cars giving him back the freedom he gave up when he was unable to renew his driver’s licence in his mid-90s.”
Tributes and Funeral Plans
Details of the funeral will be announced at a later date. WA Veterans Minister Paul Papalia said it was fitting to honour Mr. Grayden with a State Funeral, which recognises “not only his distinguished military service but his decades of contribution to Western Australia.”
“His lifelong advocacy for veterans reflects a deep and enduring commitment to those who have served,” he said. “This will be an opportunity for the community to come together and pay tribute to a man who gave so much to his State and his nation.”
Premier Roger Cook said it would be an honour to mark Mr. Grayden’s “extraordinary life.”
