Kenneth Wathen Dunn (17 May 1912 – 30 July 1976) was an Australian 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 Assembly 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 1962 to 1971, representing the seat of Darling Range. Dunn was born in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

to Georgina Eustace (née Caporn) and Kenneth Wathen Dunn. He attended

Guildford Grammar School Guildford Grammar School, informally known as Guildford Grammar, Guildford or GGS, is an independent Anglican coeducational primary and secondary day and boarding school, located in Guildford, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Initia ...

, and then found work as a clerk. In 1940, Dunn enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force, and was posted to the 2/7th Field Regiment. He saw active duty in the Middle East and

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...

, and was involved in the Landing at Tarakan. After the war, Dunn worked for periods as a

Vacuum Oil Vacuum Oil Company was an American oil company known for its ''Gargoyle'' 600-W steam cylinder motor oil. After being taken over by the original Standard Oil Company and then becoming independent again, in 1931 Vacuum Oil merged with the Standar ...

salesman, as a

tearoom A teahouse (mainly Asia) or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment whic ...

-operator in Kalamunda, and as a real estate agent. He was president of the

Kalamunda Shire Council The City of Kalamunda is a local government area in the eastern metropolitan region of the Western Australian capital city of Perth about east of Perth's central business district. The area covers , much of which is state forest rising into ...

from 1960 to 1963, and also headed the local branch of the

Returned Services League The Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) is a support organisation for people who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force. Mission The RSL's mission is to ensure that programs are in place for the well-being, care ...

(RSL).Kenneth Wathen Dunn
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2016. Dunn entered parliament at the 1962 state election, passing

Ray Owen Raymond "Ray" Owen (birth registered third ¼ 1940 – 5 February 2006) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, and a chairman of the 1980s and 1990s. He played at club level for Widnes and Wakefield Trini ...

(the sitting Country Party member) by just a single vote on

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 ...

. This result was subsequently overturned by the Court of Disputed Returns, and a by-election for the seat was held in July 1962, at which Dunn confirmed his victory and extended the margin between him and Owen to 15 votes. Dunn increased his majority at the 1965 state election, and remained in parliament for another six years before retiring at the 1971 election. He died in Gooseberry Hill in July 1976, aged 64.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Ken 1912 births 1976 deaths Australian Army soldiers Australian Army personnel of World War II Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia Mayors of places in Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Politicians from Perth, Western Australia People educated at Guildford Grammar School Western Australian local councillors