Don Bowman
Encyclopedia
Donald John "Don" Bowman (born 25 May 1936) is a former Australia
n politician. He was the Labor
member for Swansea
in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
from 1981 to 1988 and from 1991 to 1995.
Bowman was born in Newcastle
to electical linesman Donald Napier Bowman and his wife Annie. He attended high school at Hamilton
from 1948 to 1952, and went on to achieve a Bachelor of Arts
from the University of New England
in 1955. After completing his national service in 1956 he was a regional high school teacher, receiving his Diploma of Education
in 1966. He joined the Australian Labor Party
in 1965 and married Margaret Estelle Thomson in 1969. He was active both in the local Labor Party and in the local teachers' associations, and in 1974 was elected to Lake Macquarie City Council, where he remained until 1980.
In 1981 he was selected as the Labor candidate for the new seat of Swansea
(the seat replaced Munmorah
, whose member, Harry Jensen
, retired). He won the seat easily and was re-elected in 1984, but in 1988 he was defeated by Lake Macquarie Mayor Ivan Welsh
, running as an independent
. He regained the seat in 1991 but retired in 1995.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician. He was the Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
member for Swansea
Electoral district of Swansea
Swansea is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Hunter Region of the Australian state of New South Wales. It was represented by Milton Orkopoulos of the Australian Labor Party until his arrest in 2006 on allegations of child sex and drugs offences. It is now represented by Garry...
in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
from 1981 to 1988 and from 1991 to 1995.
Bowman was born in Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
to electical linesman Donald Napier Bowman and his wife Annie. He attended high school at Hamilton
Hamilton, New South Wales
Hamilton is a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located from Newcastle's central business district. The main commercial centre is located around Beaumont Street and boasts a vibrant multicultural atmosphere providing an array of restaurants, retail, fashion and commercial outlets...
from 1948 to 1952, and went on to achieve a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from the University of New England
University of New England (Australia)
The University of New England is an Australian public university with approximately 18,000 higher education students. Its original and main campus is located in the city of Armidale in northern New South Wales....
in 1955. After completing his national service in 1956 he was a regional high school teacher, receiving his Diploma of Education
Diploma of Education
The Diploma of Education, often abbreviated to DipEd or GradDipEd, is a postgraduate qualification offered in many Commonwealth countries including Australia, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom...
in 1966. He joined the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
in 1965 and married Margaret Estelle Thomson in 1969. He was active both in the local Labor Party and in the local teachers' associations, and in 1974 was elected to Lake Macquarie City Council, where he remained until 1980.
In 1981 he was selected as the Labor candidate for the new seat of Swansea
Electoral district of Swansea
Swansea is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Hunter Region of the Australian state of New South Wales. It was represented by Milton Orkopoulos of the Australian Labor Party until his arrest in 2006 on allegations of child sex and drugs offences. It is now represented by Garry...
(the seat replaced Munmorah
Electoral district of Munmorah
Munmorah was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian State of New South Wales, which partly replaced Wyong in 1973. It was named after the locality of Munmorah. In 1981, it was replaced by Swansea and Tuggerah. Its only member was Harry Jensen, representing the...
, whose member, Harry Jensen
Harry Jensen
Henry Frederick Jensen, usually called Harry Jensen was an Australian ALP politician, who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1965 until 1981...
, retired). He won the seat easily and was re-elected in 1984, but in 1988 he was defeated by Lake Macquarie Mayor Ivan Welsh
Ivan Welsh
Ivan Joseph Welsh was an Australian politician.Born in Newcastle, Welsh attended Newcastle Boys' High School from 1952 to 1955 and served in the army from 1958 to 1967, including periods in Malaya and Vietnam . In 1961, he married Lorraine Gay Cox...
, running as an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
. He regained the seat in 1991 but retired in 1995.