William Bernard Kaus (24 May 1923 – 20 December 2006) was a businessman and member of the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

Biography

Kaus was born at Kangaroo Point, Queensland, to parents William Rahman Kaus and his wife Doreen May (née Baker). He was involved in the family business, Kaus Bros Bedding Manufacturers. In

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

he joined the

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

and was assigned as a Flying officer to the 161 Squadron. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and France's highest honour, the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

in 2005. On 12 June 1948 Kaus married Neth Florette Hutchinson and together had two sons and two daughters (one of whom was the federal MP Andrea West). He died in December 2006 in Brisbane and was

cremated Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre i ...

at the

Mt Thompson Crematorium Mount Thompson Memorial Gardens and Crematorium (formerly Brisbane Crematorium) includes a heritage-listed chapel (the West Chapel), columbaria and other features. It is located on north-western slopes of Mount Thompson in Brisbane, Australia. ...

.William Bernard Kaus (1923–2006)
– Heaven Address. Retrieved 2 April 2016.

Public career

Kaus, for 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 li ...

, won the seat of Hawthorne at the 1966 Queensland state election. He was the member for Hawthorne until it was abolished before the 1972 state election. Kaus then represented the seat of Mansfield from 1972 until 1986 state election. In 1983, he switch parties and joined the National Party after losing preselection by the Liberals. Kaus had many roles in Parliament and his party including: * Member, Government Party Committees: Treasury; Local Government, Main Roads and Racing; Transport; Tourism, National Parks, Sport and the Arts * Secretary of the Hawthorne Branch of the Liberal Party, 1966 * Secretary of the Parliamentary Liberal Party, 1967 – 1980 * Member of the Government Party Committees: Justice; Health; Tourism; Transport, 1969 – 1972 * Member of the Government Party Committees: Health; Tourism, Sport and Welfare; Transport, 1972 – 1974 * Member of the Government Party Committees: Community and Welfare Services, Sport; Transport; Local Government and Main Roads; Tourism and Marine Services; Health, 1975 – 1977 * Member of the Government Party Committees: Local Government and Main Roads; Culture, National Parks and Recreation; Transport; Works and Housing, 1978 – 1980 * Member of the Government Party Committees: Commerce and Industry; Employment and Labour Relations; Local Government, Main Roads and Police; Tourism, National Parks, Sport and the Arts, 1981 – 1983 * Deputy Government Whip * Temporary Chairman of Committees from 1975 until 1983 * Delegate to the 28th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference, The Bahamas * Alternate Delegate to the Australian Constitutional Convention in 1985 Kaus was a keen sportsman, especially in cricket, football, shooting and bowls. He was an inaugural Member of the Queensland Cricketers Club and President of the Queensland Rifle Association. He was also responsible for the introduction of yellow rain coats for schoolchildren and the Lollipop Road Safety personnel.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaus, William Bernard Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly 1923 births 2006 deaths Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Queensland National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Queensland 20th-century Australian politicians Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Australian Air Force officers Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Legion of Honour