Bill Prest
{{Short description|Australian politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix =
|name = Bill Prest
|honorific-suffix =
|image =
|caption =
|office = Queensland Government Chief Whip
|term_start = 6 December 1989
|term_end = 1 October 1992
|premier = Wayne Goss
|predecessor = Len Stephan
|successor = Warren Pitt
|office1 = Leader of Opposition Business in the House
|term_start1 = 29 August 1984
|term_end1 = 6 December 1989
|leader1 = Nev Warburton
Wayne Goss
|predecessor1 = Brian Davis
|successor1 = Kev Lingard
|term_start2 = 5 March 1981
|term_end2 = 20 October 1982
|leader2 = Ed Casey
|predecessor2 = Keith Wright
|successor2 = Brian Davis
|constituency_AM3 = Port Curtis
|assembly3 = Queensland Legislative
|term_start3 = 29 May 1976
|term_end3 = 19 September 1992
|predecessor3 = Martin Hanson
|successor3 = Seat abolished
|birth_date = {{Birth date|1926|4|2|df=y}}
|birth_place = Longreach, Queensland, Australia
|death_date = {{death date and age|2012|12|8|1926|4|2|df=y}}
|death_place = Gladstone, Queensland, Australia
|restingplace =
|birthname = William George Prest
|nationality = Australian
|party = Labor
|otherparty =
|spouse = Patricia Rabbitt
|alma_mater =
|occupation = Shearer, Gladstone City Council employee
|relations =
}}
William George Prest (2 April 1926 – 8 December 2012) was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for the Labor Party from 1976 until 1992, former Gladstone Harbour Board member and once Gladstone City Council mayor.
Early life
Prest was born in Longreach, Queensland. In 1970, he stood for local council elections and was elected, he later became Gladstone's deputy mayor in 1975.
Political career
After being elected he served as Shadow Minister Tourism, Marine Services and Fisheries until December 1977, then Shadow Minister for Main Roads, Shadow Minister for Local Government and Valuation and Shadow Minister for Transport.
In his last term in the Queensland Parliament, Prest caused controversy when he made a racist slur against former state National Party Aboriginal Affairs Minister and future Federal MP Bob Katter when he called him a gin jockey. Prest however was not publicly disciplined and retained his position as whip but the controversy did see him being taken about out of the limelight of public life.{{cite book|title=The Goss Government: Promise and Performance of Labor in Queensland|author1=Stevens, B.|author2=Wanna, J.|author3=Griffith University. Centre for Australian Public Sector Management|date=1993|publisher=Macmillan Education Australia|isbn=9780732926229|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aUS5s6FPewUC&pg=PA59|page=59|accessdate=24 June 2015|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304123312/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=aUS5s6FPewUC&pg=PA59|archivedate=4 March 2016|df=dmy-all}}
The Gladstone Port Access Bridge was renamed the Bill Prest Bridge in 2010.{{cite web|title=Central Qld farewells ALP stalwart Bill Prest|url=http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/latest/15602843/central-qld-farewells-alp-stalwart-bill-prest/|publisher=Yahoo-AU news|accessdate=12 December 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130209183522/http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/latest/15602843/central-qld-farewells-alp-stalwart-bill-prest/ |archivedate=9 February 2013|df=dmy-all}}
Personal life
Prest died, aged 86, in Gladstone, Queensland. Robert Schwarten, Liz Cunningham, deputy mayor Matt Burnett and mayor Gail Sellers attended his funeral to pay tribute.
Prest was survived by his wife Patricia, son Darryl Prest and daughters Patricia Hick and Liz Fallon.{{cite web|title=Prest described as "generous man" at funeral|url=http://www.gladstoneobserver.com.au/news/farewell-former-mayor/1658048/|publisher=The Observer|accessdate=12 December 2012|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610230330/http://www.gladstoneobserver.com.au/news/farewell-former-mayor/1658048/|archivedate=10 June 2015|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web|title=Farewell former mayor|url=http://www.gladstoneobserver.com.au/news/farewell-former-mayor/1658048/|publisher=The Observer|accessdate=12 December 2012|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610230330/http://www.gladstoneobserver.com.au/news/farewell-former-mayor/1658048/|archivedate=10 June 2015|df=dmy-all}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|au-qld }}
{{s-bef | before = Martin Hanson}}
{{s-ttl |title = Member for Port Curtis|years=1976–1992}}
{{s-non|reason=Abolished}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prest, Bill}}
Category:Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland
{{Australia-Labor-Queensland-MP-stub}}