Eric Willis

Sir Eric Archibald Willis (15 January 1922 – 10 May 1999) was an Australian politician, Cabinet Minister and the 34th Premier of New South Wales, serving from 23 January 1976 to 14 May 1976.

Born in Murwillumbah in 1922, Willis was educated at Murwillumbah High School and the University of Sydney, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts with double honours.

Enlisting during World War II, Willis served on the homefront and later served in New Guinea and the Philippines.

Willis was born in January 1922 in Murwillumbah, New South Wales, 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).

His younger brother was NSW Legislative Council Member and President, Max Willis.

He was educated at Tyalgum Public School and then at Murwillumbah High School, at which he was Dux of his year and won a scholarship to study arts at the University of Sydney.

He served in the Second Australian Imperial Force from 1941 to 1946 in Army Intelligence in New Guinea and Philippines during World War II ending the war with the rank of Sergeant.

He received a Bachelor of Arts with double honours in Modern History and Geography (BA (Hons)) from Sydney University in 1942.

Willis joined the newly formed Liberal Party of Australia in 1945, after hearing a speech by Sir Robert Menzies.

He remained in the military after demobilization, being discharged from the regular military on 3 June 1946.

He continued to serve in the Citizen Military Forces (CMF) from 1946, achieving the rank of major in 1948, until retiring in 1958.

He sought preselection for the federal seat of Evans in the 1949 federal election but was defeated in favour of Frederick Osborne.

Instead, he gained preselection for and contested the Labor seat of Lang and gained 45.3 per cent of the vote but was defeated by the sitting member, Dan Mulcahy.

After serving a period as a geographer, Willis was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the Liberal member for Earlwood in 1950.

At the June 1950 state election, at the age of 28, Willis was elected to the newly created Legislative Assembly seat of Earlwood, 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.

He soon gained a reputation as rebel in the House, always attacking the Labor Speakers, and consequently being expelled from the house more than any other member.

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

At the February 1953 election, Willis narrowly retained his seat with 50.33%, but at the following 1956 election, he increased his margin to 58.04%.

He continued to serve the Citizen Military Forces until 1958.

He rose to become a long-serving Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party from 1959 to 1975 under Robert Askin.

Following the 1959 election, at which Willis retained his seat with 58.43%, 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.

At the March 1962 election, despite losing the election, Willis went on to retain his seat for a fifth time with 57.26%.

When the Coalition won the 1965 election, Willis was made a Minister of the Crown as Chief Secretary, Minister for Labour and Industry, Tourism and Sport but rose to prominence in his role as Minister for Education from 1972 to 1976.

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.

Willis was appointed Minister for Labour and Industry from 1965 to March 1971 and during that same time he was also Minister for Sport.

From June 1972 to January 1976 he was Minister for Education, where he presided over a huge expansion of schools, teachers and ancillary staff.

Willis served as a Fellow of University of Sydney Senate in 1972.

Willis was regarded as the outstanding minister of the Askin Government and is considered one of the state's greatest Education Ministers.

For his service as Minister, Willis was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George on 15 June 1974.

When Askin retired in 1975, Willis failed in his attempts to succeed him.

Following the ousting of Askin's successor, Tom Lewis, by the party, Willis was elected as the Parliamentary Leader of the Liberal Party and subsequently became Premier.

However, after only four months in office, his Liberal/National Country Party Coalition was defeated at the 1976 election by the Labor Party under Neville Wran.

Continuing as Leader of the Opposition, Willis resigned in 1977 and retired from politics a year later.

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).

Thereafter he served in various organisations and directorships until his death in May 1999.