Thomas Walter Mitchell (11 November 1906 – 4 February 1984) was an Australian politician, author and sportsman. Mitchell was born at the family property "Towong Hill", near

Corryong, Victoria Corryong is a small town in Victoria, Australia east of Albury-Wodonga, near the upper reaches of the Murray River and close to the New South Wales border. At the , Corryong had a population of 1,348. The post office opened on 1 February 1 ...

and was educated at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

from 1925 to 1930 before returning to Australia, and Towong Hill. At the time the property consisted of of prime land beside the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...

, but today has been reduced to , as sections have been split to various family members. A keen skier, Mitchell founded the Australian National Ski Federation in 1932, captained the Australian skiing team and won gold medals in competitions against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. He was an Australian champion in the downhill and long-time member of the Australian Ski Club. He and his wife

Elyne Mitchell Elyne Mitchell, Order of Australia, OAM (née Chauvel, 30 December 1913 – 4 March 2002) was an Australian author noted for the ''Silver Brumby'' series of children's novels. Her nonfiction works draw on family history and culture. Biography S ...

(daughter of General Sir

Harry Chauvel General Sir Henry George Chauvel, (16 April 1865 – 4 March 1945) was a senior officer of the Australian Imperial Force who fought at Gallipoli and during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of the First World War ...

) were the first people to ski the western slopes of the Main Range of the Snowy Mountains, including the demanding runs of "Little Austria". Mitchell joined the

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the name given to the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial ...

in 1940 and was a captain in the 2/22 Battalion and Headquarters 8th Division. He was captured by the Japanese in 1942 and was interned in the infamous Changi POW camp until 1945, being forced to work on the

Burma Railway The Burma Railway, also known as the Siam–Burma Railway, Thai–Burma Railway and similar names, or as the Death Railway, is a railway between Ban Pong, Thailand and Thanbyuzayat, Burma (now called Myanmar). It was built from 1940 to 1943 ...

by his captors. While at Changi, he also helped found the Changi ski club. He later built a chapel, in memory of comrades lost during the war, on his property. In 1947 he and Elyne, together with Ossie Rixon, set off in two four-wheel-drive vehicles to become the first people to cross the

Australian Alps The Australian Alps is a mountain range in southeast Australia. It comprises an interim Australian bioregion,

in a motor vehicle. "One", a Willys army jeep, sits in

Corryong Corryong is a small town in Victoria, Australia east of Albury-Wodonga, near the upper reaches of the Murray River and close to the New South Wales border. At the , Corryong had a population of 1,348. The post office opened on 1 February 18 ...

to this day. He served as the Country Party member for Benambra in the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presiding ...

from 1947 to 1976, as

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

from June 1950 to 27 October 1952 and again from 31 October to December 1952. He was also Solicitor-General from June 1950 to December 1951, the last politician to hold the office, replaced by a non-political barrister,

Henry Winneke Sir Henry Arthur Winneke, (20 October 1908 – 28 December 1985) was a Chief Justice of Victoria and the 21st Governor of Victoria, from 1974 to 1982. Early life and career Winneke was born on 20 October 1908 to the descendants of German immi ...

. This was the start of a fundamental shift of the role of Solicitors-General in Australia. He contributed to the official history of the Second World War and wrote several volumes on skiing and local history. Mitchell died in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in 1984.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Thomas Walter 1906 births 1984 deaths People from Corryong Alumni of the University of Cambridge Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly World War II prisoners of war held by Japan Attorneys-General of Victoria Solicitors-General of Victoria Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian prisoners of war Australian male alpine skiers Burma Railway prisoners Australian Army officers Sportsmen from Victoria (Australia) Military personnel from Victoria (Australia)