Harry Gayfer
Honorific prefixThe Honourable
Honorific suffixAM
OfficeMember of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
ConstituencyAvon
Term start13 March 1962
Term end30 March 1974
PredecessorNone (new seat)
SuccessorKen McIver
Office 2Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council
Constituency 2Central Province
Term start 222 May 1974
Term end 221 May 1989
Predecessor 2Leslie Diver
Successor 2None (seat abolished)
Birth date12 August 1925
Birth placeKensington, London, England
Death date15 July 2021 (aged 95)
Death placeCorrigin, Western Australia
PartyNational[a]

Harry Walter Gayfer (12 August 1925 – 15 July 2021) was an Australian politician who served in both houses of the Parliament of Western Australia. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1962 to 1974, and then a member of the Legislative Council from 1974 to 1989.

Gayfer was born in London, England, but moved to Western Australia as an infant. He attended Scotch College, Perth, and was the school's head prefect in 1942. After leaving school, Gayfer began farming at Corrigin, in Western Australia's Wheatbelt region. He was elected to the Corrigin Shire Council in 1955, and in 1959 was made a director of Co-operative Bulk Handling, eventually becoming chairman.[1]

Standing for the Country Party,[a] Gayfer entered parliament at the 1962 state election, winning the seat of Avon.[2] He was appointed Country Party whip in 1969, but at the 1974 state election left the Legislative Assembly to transfer to the Legislative Council, winning election to Central Province. Gayfer was re-elected twice (in 1980 and 1986), and eventually left parliament at the 1989 election.[1]

He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 1991, and then upgraded to a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1997, with both awards being "in recognition of service to primary industry".[3]

Notes

  1. ^ Gayfer's party was known as the Country Party until 1975, as the National Country Party from 1975 to 1985, and as the National Party thereafter

References

  1. ^ Harry Walter Gayfer – Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  2. ^ Black, David & Prescott, Valerie (1997). Election statistics : Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, 1890-1996. Perth, [W.A.]: Western Australian Parliamentary History Project and Western Australian Electoral Commission. ISBN 0730984095.
  3. ^ Medal of the Order of Australia, Member of the Order of Australia, It's An Honour. Retrieved 21 September 2016.