Eric Willis

Willis was born in January 1922 in Murwillumbah, the first son of Archibald Clarence Willis (1893–1975), a butter factory hand and First World War veteran, and his wife, Vida Mabel Buttenshaw (1894–1984). He continued to serve in the Citizen Military Forces (CMF) from 1946, achieving the rank of major in 1948, until retiring in 1958. He married Norma Dorothy Thompson on 11 May 1951 and they had a daughter and two sons. Willis was employed as a senior geographer and investigation officer for Cumberland County Council ==Political career==

Willis joined the newly formed Liberal Party of Australia in 1945, after hearing a speech by Sir Robert Menzies. He sought preselection for the federal seat of Evans in the 1949 federal election but was defeated in favour of Frederick Osborne. in the inner southwestern suburbs of Sydney, becoming the youngest Member of Parliament. He gained the seat with 55.53% against a single Labor candidate. but at the following 1956 election, he increased his margin to 58.04%. During his time as member for Earlwood, Willis catered to the changing demographics of his electorate by creating the first-ever Greek branch of the Liberal Party and formed the first Young Liberals branch in Australia, which counted among its recruits future Prime Minister John Howard (1996–2007). the Liberal leadership was vacated by Pat Morton. Willis declined to run for the leadership and Deputy Leader Robert Askin was made Leader. Willis then ran unopposed and subsequently became Deputy Leader. Minister of the Crown In 1965, the May general election ended 24 years of Labor government and began Willis's ministerial career, which spanned the entire length of the Coalition Government. After retaining his seat again with 59.95%, he was appointed to the post of Chief Secretary and Minister for Tourism by Premier Askin in May 1965 to June 1972. Premier Upon Askin's retirement in January 1975, Willis was seen as the favourite to take the premiership. However, despite Askin's initial support, Willis refused his help, preferring to gain the leadership on his own merits. Askin then put his support behind the Minister for Lands, Tom Lewis. Willis, sure he had support, refused to campaign, and the party put its support behind Lewis, leading to his election to Premier. Willis was then replaced as Deputy by John Maddison. For his service as Deputy Leader he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) on 14 June 1975. Lewis was Premier for only one year and looked increasingly likely to lead the state Liberals to defeat. At the party room meeting on 20 January 1976, parliamentary backbencher Neil Pickard called a spill motion which carried 22 votes to 11. Lewis opted not to contest the ensuing leadership ballot, leaving Willis to take the leadership unopposed. Willis was then duly sworn in as Premier on 23 January, alongside his reconfigured Cabinet, by the Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales, Sir Laurence Street. In his brief time as Premier he extensively reshuffled the cabinet, dropping five ministers in an attempt to distance himself from the past, including Steve Mauger and John Mason, and appointed new cabinet faces such as Pickard and David Arblaster. When former Minister Steve Mauger resigned on 27 January 1976, sparking a by-election in his seat of Monaro in May, and early polls had indicated a large swing to Labor, Willis announced an early election on 1 May, thereby cancelling the by-election in the hope of preventing a larger move of voters against the government. on 23 January 1976. The Willis-Punch Cabinet • Sir Eric Willis, Premier and Treasurer • Leon Punch, Deputy Premier, Minister for Public Works, Minister for Ports (CP) • John Maddison, Attorney General, Minister for Justice • Tim Bruxner, Minister for Transport, Minister for Highways (CP) • Neil Pickard, Minister for Education • Dick Healey, Minister for Health • Bruce Cowan, Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Water Resources (CP) • Peter Coleman, Chief Secretary • Tom Lewis, Minister for Local Government • George Freudenstein, Minister for Mines, Minister for Energy (CP) • Sir John Fuller MLC, Minister for Planning and Environment, vice-president of the Executive Council (CP) • Max Ruddock, Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Revenue • Frederick Hewitt MLC, Minister for Labour and Industry, Minister for Federal Affairs, Minister for Consumer Affairs • Ian Griffith, Minister for Housing, Minister for Co-operative Societies • David Arblaster, Minister for Culture, Sport and Recreation, Minister for Tourism • Milton Morris, Minister for Decentralisation and Development • Col Fisher, Minister for Lands, Minister for Forests (CP) • Jim Clough, Minister for Youth, Ethnic and Community Affairs ==Later life==

Opposition After the election he retained the Liberal leadership but proved to be less than suited for opposition. On 19 January 1977, the Granville rail disaster claimed the lives of 83 people—the worst rail disaster in Australian history at the time. In response to this, Willis declared that there had never been as many deaths on the railways during the Liberal Government. The insensitive remark led several Liberal MLAs to introduce a no-confidence motion in Willis' leadership. After politics On his retirement, he was permitted by Queen Elizabeth II, on the Governor's recommendation, to continue to use the title "The Honourable" for life. As a member of parliament he received the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (1953), and the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (1977). After retiring from politics Willis held positions with the Royal Australian College of Ophthalmologists and the Arthritis Foundation, of which he was executive director from 1984 to 1991. Willis also spent time as vice-president of the Red Cross (NSW Branch) and was a Fellow of the Royal Society of St George, a Member of the Australian Institute of Political Science and the Australian Institute of International Affairs. ==References==