William Gordon Atkinson (14 April 1941 – 4 August 1984) was an Australian farmer and politician who was a

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 ...

member of the Legislative Council of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

from 1983 until his death. Atkinson was born in

Geraldton Geraldton ( Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...

, to Jessie (née Peden) and Harry Leonard Atkinson. His family moved to Dalwallinu (a small Wheatbelt town) when he was a child, and he attended

Northam Senior High School Northam Senior High School is a comprehensive public co-educational high school, located in Northam, a regional centre in the Wheatbelt region, east of Perth, Western Australia. History The school was established in 1921 and by 2020 had an ...

and Muresk Agricultural College. After leaving school, Atkinson farmed at Dalwallinu, becoming prominent in agricultural circles. He first stood for parliament at the 1980 state election, losing to Harry Gayfer (the sitting National Country member) in Central Province. Atkinson recontested the seat at the 1983 election, and was elected on just 26.1 percent of

first preferences In certain ranked-voting systems, a first-preference vote (or first preference, 1st preference, or primary vote) is the individual voter's first choice amongst (possibly) many. In certain ranked systems such as Instant-Runoff Voting or Single T ...

. However, he served in parliament for just 15 months before dying suddenly in August 1984, aged 43. He had married Olwen Margaret Dowie in 1963, with whom he had four children.William Gordon Atkinson
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 11 September 2016. In a Legislative Council condolence motion after Atkinson's death,

Gordon Masters Gordon Edgar Masters (born 30 August 1931) is a former Australian politician who was a Liberal Party member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia from 1974 to 1989, representing West Province. He was a minister in the governments of ...

said that " oother person in Parliament typified the country people and the farming community better".Legislative Council , Tuesday, 7 August 1984
Hansard (Parliament of Western Australia).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkinson, Gordon 1941 births 1984 deaths Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia Australian farmers Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council People from Geraldton