William Albany "Bill" McKenzie AO (21 May 1928 – 2 May 1991) was an Australian local government politician and public servant from

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 ...

. He served as

Mayor of Fremantle Fremantle, Western Australia Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Austr ...

from 1972 to 1984, head of the

Western Australian Planning Commission The Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) is an independent statutory authority of the Government of Western Australia that exists to coordinate strategic and statutory planning for future urban, rural and regional land use. The authori ...

from 1985 to 1989, and Administrator of Christmas Island (an Australian external territory) from 1990 until his death. McKenzie was born in

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

, and was raised in a house on South Street,

Beaconsfield Beaconsfield ( ) is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, west-northwest of central London and south-southeast of Aylesbury. Three other towns are within : Gerrards Cross, Amersham and High W ...

. He suffered from

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

as a child, and carried his left arm in a sling for the rest of his life. McKenzie trained as a pharmacist, and eventually acquired his own business in Fremantle. He was elected to the Fremantle City Council in 1965, and in 1972 replaced Sir

Frederick Samson Sir William Frederick Samson (12 January 1892 – 6 February 1974) was a businessman and long-term Mayor of Fremantle, Western Australia. Biography Samson was born at Fremantle, the second son of Michael Samson, and his wife Mary, née Murphy ...

as mayor. McKenzie continued Samson's emphasis on heritage protection during his term in office. He had control of the

Round House Roundhouse may refer to: Architecture and buildings Types * Roundhouse (dwelling), a kind of house with circular walls, prehistoric and modern, all over the world ** Atlantic roundhouse, an Iron Age stone building found in the northern and weste ...

(Western Australia's oldest building) passed from the

Fremantle Port Authority Fremantle Port Authority, also known by its registered business name Fremantle Ports, is the responsible authority created under the Western Australian Port Authorities Act 1999. Harbour administration In August 1829 the Fremantle Harbour Master ...

to the City of Fremantle, and also had the West End listed on

Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritag ...

. McKenzie was made an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(AO) in the 1983 Australia Day Honours, for "service to local government and to the community". After finishing his term as mayor in 1984, he was appointed chairman of the Metropolitan Region Planning Authority (MRPA). The following year, the MRPA and several other bodies were merged to create the State Planning Commission, of which McKenzie was also appointed chairman. After finishing his three-year term, he took up an appointment as Administrator of Christmas Island, one of Australia's territories in the Indian Ocean. He succeeded Don Taylor in the position in February 1990. McKenzie died in May 1991, aged 62.Summary Of Record Information
Metropolitan Cemeteries Board. Retrieved 4 February 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McKenzie, Bill 1928 births 1991 deaths Australian pharmacists Christmas Island administrators Officers of the Order of Australia Mayors of Fremantle People from Fremantle Public servants of Western Australia Western Australian local councillors

See also

References