“RECORD OF SERVICE/ Cr. William Thwaites O.B.E. J.P.”
“Cr. William Thwaites O.B.E. J.P./ Born: Yannathan, Victoria, August 6, 1918/ Died: April 13, 1991. Aged 72 years/ A Yannathan dairy farmer, Bill Thwaites ably represented the interests of/ Cranbourne Shire residents, particularly those in the rural areas of East Riding,/ for 36 years./ First elected on August 27, 1955 he was sworn in at his first council meeting/ on September 2./ Cr. Thwaites continued a family tradition of service to the community, with/ his father John representing Lang Lang Riding (now East Riding) for the previous/ 19 years./ As well as being the Shire of Cranbourne’s longest serving councillor, Cr. Thwaites/ was the only person to service five terms as Shire President./ He represented Council on a myriad of statutory bodies and community groups,/ while playing a prominent role in Australian Local Government at State and/ Federal levels./ When Cr. Thwaites was first elected to Council, the population of the Shire/ was 8,200. He witnessed its rapid expansion to 47,000 by 1985 and around/ 75,500 in 1991./ This Record of Service has been prepared in recognition of the outstanding/ contribution Bill Thwaites made to the life and growth of the Shire of Cranbourne/ over so many years./ Council is very grateful for his legacy: practical leadership, energy and/ determination to serve the needs of individuals and the entire community.”
“1936 A committee member of Yannathan Cricket Club when its team won the/ 1936 premiership./ 1939-45 Returned soldier. Served with the Australian Imperial Forces for five years/ during World War 2./ 1940s Played competition cricket at Yannathan Oval and was a non-playing member/ of the Catanu Football Club, where he officiated as Goal Umpire./ Bill was a non-playing member of the Catani, Koo Wee Rup and Lang Lang/ Football Clubs from the 1980s until his death./ 1945-91 Life Member of the Lang Lang Pastoral, Agriculture and Horticulture Society./ 1946-91 Life Member of Westernport Memorial Hospital Committee./ 1946-52 President of the Catani & District Tennis Association./ 1952 A non-playing member of the West Gippsland Tennis Association until he/ married in 1957. President of the W.G.T.A. from 1953-58/ 1946-85 Secretary of the Yannathan Rural Fire Brigade (now amalgamated with the/ Heath Hill Rural Fire Brigade)./ 1946-91 Member of Yannathan Public Hall Committee./ 1950-91 Elected President of the Hall Committee in August, 1950 – a position he held until his death./ 1949-91 A member of the Lang Lang Returned Servicemen’s League – served as/ branch President in 1953./ Past President and Secretary 44 District Board R.S.L. Victorian State Councillor/ of the R.S.L. in 1961-62./ He also provided liaison between the Lang Lang Chamber of Commerce/ and the Council for many years./ 1955 First elected to the Shire of Cranbourne Council on August 27, 1955./ 1957 Married Margery Kitchen, who actively supported his duties with Council until/ her death in 1987./ 1958 Cr Thwaites was first appointed a Justice of the Peace./ 1958 Elected as a trustee of the Yannathan Union Church in July, 1958./ 1958-59 First elected Shire President./ 1958-91 Member of the Lang Lang Masonic Lodge from December, 1958./ 1958-71 Member of the Drouin High School Advisory Committee 14 years./ 1958-91 Member of the Executive and Past Chairman of the Gippsland Municipalities/ Association./ 1959-91 Elected as Trustee and Secretary of the Lang Lang Cemetery Trust. Also/ served as volunteer grave digger until the late 1960s. Witnessed the first burial/ in the cemetery’s new lawn section in early 1991./ Lang Lang Cemetery first opened on 15 acres of public land in 1887. It/ now has 729 graves and a cremation niche wall. Trust records date back/ to 1907./ 1964-91 Member of the Central and South Gippsland Show Societies, as a result of/ his involvement in the Lang Lang Pastoral, Agricultural and Horticultural/ Society./ 1964-91 Member of the Executive of the Natural Resources Conservation League of/ Victoria./ 1966-68 Elected Shire President (second and third terms)./ 1969-72 President of the Municipal Association of Victoria for three successive terms.”
“1969-77 Foundation Chairman (1969) of the Westernport Regional Planning Authority./ 1970-87 Instrumental in efforts to build a new pavilion at Catani Recreation Reserve/ after the old building was destroyed by fire on November 11, 1970./ He convened and chaired a local meeting which organised a district collection/ and successfully applied for government funds for the project./ The replacement building, costing around $15,000 was opened in July, 1971./ Further $80,000 social clubroom extensions were opened in 1987./ 1972 Awarded the “Office of the British Empire” O.B.E. honour./ 1973-76 Represented Local Government of Victoria at four Constitutional Conventions/ (1973, 1975 1976 and 1978)./ 1973-87 Treasurer of the Municipal Association of Victoria for 14 years, then Council/ delegate to the MAV until 1991./ 1974-76 Inaugural Chairman of No. 18 Region Grants Commission./ 1975 Member of Victoria Valuation Fees Committee./ 1975-76 Elected Shire President (fourth term)./ 1975-76 Foundation President, Australian Council of Local Government Association./ Played a prominent role in the establishment of the Federal Secretariat in/ Canberra./ 1975-85 Chairman Local Authorities Superannuation Board./ 1976 Victorian Local Government Representative on the Federal Government/ Intergovernmental Relations Committee./ Local Government Representative on the Federal Government Housing/ Standards Committee./ Local Government of Australia Representative of the United Nations conference/ “Habitat” in Canada./ Elected to the State Council of the Red Cross Society./ 1985-86 Elected Shire Present (fifth term)./ Served as Council representative on Regional and State bodies:/ 1985-91 Gippsland Municipal Association./ Westernport Regional Planning Committee./ 1986-91 Municipal Association of Victoria./ 1987-91 Natural Resources Conservation League./ 1987-91 Lang Lang Primary School./ 1989-91 Westernport Rivers Management Study Steering Committee/ (Rural Water Commission)./ 1987-88 Ground Water Commission./ 1987-91 Rural Water Commission’s Koo Wee Rup-Dalmore Ground Water Advisory/ Committee./ 1987-91 Southern Weights and Measures Union./ 1987-91 Shire of Cranbourne No. 1 Co-operative Housing Society./ 1987-91 Devon Meadows Community Centre./ 1990-91 Dandenong Valley Authority./ Mornington Peninsula Arterial Road Strategy Committee./ Traffic Police-Council Liaison Committee.”