Eric Alwyn Roussell (1 October 1911 – 19 August 1977) was the tenth

Clerk of the New Zealand House of Representatives The clerk of the New Zealand House of Representatives is an officer of the New Zealand House of Representatives and is the principal officer (chief executive) of the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Role The clerk of the ...

("Clerk of the House"). As Clerk of the House he was head of the Legislative Department, responsible for administrative services to Parliament prior to the creation of the

Parliamentary Service A parliamentary train was a passenger service operated in the United Kingdom to comply with the Railway Regulation Act 1844 that required train companies to provide inexpensive and basic rail transport for less affluent passengers. The act requ ...

in 1985 and the

Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives The Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives is a New Zealand public sector organisation. Purpose The Office of the Clerk is the legislature’s secretariat. It provides specialist advice on procedure and parliamentary law and secret ...

in 1988. Roussell, son of the Philip George Roussell, General manager of the

New Zealand Railways Department The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR (New Zealand Government Railways) and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway ...

, was educated at

Wellington College (New Zealand) Wellington College, is a state-run boys secondary school in Wellington, New Zealand. It is situated in 12 hectares of green belt land in the suburb of Mount Victoria, Wellington, Mount Victoria, in the vicinity of the Basin Reserve and Governmen ...

. He began his career in the public service when he was appointed as a Clerical Cadet with the Audit Department in Wellington on 21 January 1929. He transferred to the Head Office of the

Public Trust The concept of public trust relates back to the origins of democratic government and its seminal idea that within the public lies the true power and future of a society; therefore, whatever ''trust'' citizens place in its officials must be respect ...

on 3 October 1929. While working at Public Trust he completed a Bachelor of Laws degree at

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

, graduating in 1936 (together with his predecessor Henry Nelson Dollimore). From 1942 to 1945 he served in the Pacific as a Flight-Lieutenant with the

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeala ...

(RNZAF) during the

Second World War 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 opposin ...

. During this service he worked as an Intelligence Officer and was

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. After Roussell completed three year's service with the RNZAF he was, on 14 September 1945, appointed as Officer in Charge of the Education Section of the Rehabilitation Department. On 1 July 1946 he was appointed as an Employment Officer with the Office of the Public Service Commissioner. He began working at the New Zealand Parliament on 1 March 1947 when, at 35 years of age, he was appointed as Clerk-Assistant within the Legislative Department, a position he held for 24 years. He became Clerk of the House on 2 April 1971 following the retirement of Henry Nelson Dollimore. After almost five years as Clerk of the House, Roussell retired at 64 years of age on 5 January 1976. In the

1976 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1976 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1976 to celebra ...

, Roussell was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for public services. Roussell died on 19 August 1977 at 65 years of age.Evening Post, 19 August 1977

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roussell, Eric Alwyn 1911 births 1977 deaths Clerks of the New Zealand House of Representatives Companions of the Queen's Service Order New Zealand military personnel of World War II Royal New Zealand Air Force personnel Military personnel from Auckland People educated at Wellington College (New Zealand)