People Australia

Laurie Wallis, n.d.

Commonwealth Handbook

Laurie George Wallis (1922-1984) boilermaker, trade union official and parliamentarian

Birth: 10 September 1922 at Thornleigh, New South Wales, son of native-born parents Cecil Marcus Wallis (1895-1946), professional acrobat, later building contractor, and Edith Ada, née Shields (1901-1986). Marriage: 26 January 1946 at Port Augusta, South Australia, to Valma Eileen Grantham (1925-2016), born at Port Augusta. They had two daughters and two sons. Death: 10 January 1984 in hospital at Port Augusta, South Australia. 

• His father had enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 22 August 1914 and served with the 2nd Battalion at Gallipoli and in France in World War I; he was awarded the military medal in February 1918 for bravery in the field, wounded in action in May 1918 and was discharged in Sydney in February 1919.
• Laurie was educated in Sydney at Dee Why Public School and Parramatta Intermediate High School. He worked as a boilermaker.
• Reputedly served in the Citizen Military Forces in 1939-1941.
• Moved to South Australia in 1943.
• Secretary, Port Augusta Boilermakers & Blacksmiths Society in 1948 and from 1953 to 1970. Secretary Port Augusta Combined Union Council, 1947-1949 and 1959-1970.
• Joined the Australian Labor Party in 1954. Was sometime vice president of Port Augusta ALP sub-branch and auditor for three years.
• Elected member of the Australian House of Representatives for seat of Grey on 25 October 1969. He was a member of ALP Transport and Aboriginal Committees. Retired from parliament on 4 February 1983.
• Cause of death: carcinomatosis and carcinoma of lungs.

Sources
Rydon, A biographical register of the Commonwealth Parliament 1901-1972 (ANU Press, 1975); Labor Year Book, 1973; Who’s Who in Australia.