David Evans | |
|---|---|
| Member of theLegislative Assembly ofWestern Australia | |
| In office 23 March 1968 – 4 February 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Rowberry |
| Succeeded by | Paul Omodei |
| Constituency | Warren |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Hywel David Evans (1924-12-20)20 December 1924 |
| Died | 3 September 2019(2019-09-03) (aged 94) |
| Party | Labor |
| Alma mater | University of Western Australia |
Hywel David EvansAM (20 December 1924 – 3 September 2019) was an Australian politician who was aLabor Party member of theLegislative Assembly ofWestern Australia from 1968 to 1989, representing theseat of Warren. He was a deputy leader of the party on two occasions, and was a minister in the governments ofJohn Tonkin andBrian Burke.
Evans was born inPenygraig,Glamorgan, Wales, and came to Australia as a child. His family settled inPemberton, a small town in theSouth West, and he went on to attendBunbury High School. Evans enlisted in theRoyal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in January 1943, and saw service as awarrant officer in New Guinea and the South-West Pacific. After the war's end, he studied teaching atClaremont Teachers College and theUniversity of Western Australia, and returned to the South West to work.[1]
A long-time member of the Labor Party, Evans resigned his teaching job to contest the1968 state election, winning the seat of Warren.[2] After Labor's victory at the1971 election, he was appointedMinister for Lands,Minister for Agriculture, andMinister for Immigration in the newTonkin ministry. After a reshuffle in October 1971, he was also madeMinister for Forests. With the exception of the immigration portfolio, which was taken over byDon Taylor in February 1973, he retained his titles until Labor's defeat at the1974 election. He was Shadow Minister for Agriculture in theTonkin shadow ministry. WhenColin Jamieson replaced John Tonkin as Labor leader in 1976, Evans was elected as his deputy. He was replaced as deputy leader byMal Bryce in 1977, but remained in theshadow ministry.[1]
Evans returned to the deputy leadership in 1980, under new leaderRon Davies, but served only until the following year, when Brian Burke replaced Davies as leader and Mal Bryce became deputy leader again. After Labor's victory at the1983 state election, Evans was named Minister for Agriculture (for a second time) andMinister for Fisheries and Wildlife. He was the only member ofthe new ministry to have prior ministerial experience. Evans left the ministry after the1986 election, and retired from parliament altogether at the1989 election.[1] He was made aMember of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1993, "in recognition of service to the Western Australian Parliament and to agriculture".[3] Outside of politics, Evans served as a president of theLower South West Football League, and was involved with various conservation groups. He died in September 2019 at the age of 94.[1]
| Parliament of Western Australia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member forWarren 1968–1989 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minister for Lands 1971–1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Agriculture 1971–1974 1983–1986 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Immigration 1971–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Forests 1971–1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Fisheries and Wildlife 1983–1986 | Succeeded by |