Athol Townley
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The Honourable Athol Townley |
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Townley is fourth from left in standing row of the Menzies Government, 1951
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| Member of the Australian Parliament for Denison |
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In office 10 December 1949 – 24 December 1963 |
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| Preceded by | John Gaha |
| Succeeded by | Adrian Gibson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
3 October 1905 Hobart, Tasmania |
| Died | 24 December 1963 (aged 58) East Melbourne, Victoria |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Liberal Party of Australia |
| Spouse(s) | Hazel Florence Greenwood |
| Relations | Rex Townley (brother) |
| Occupation | Chemist |
Athol Gordon Townley (3 October 1905 – 24 December 1963) was an Australian politician and Minister for Defence.
Townley was born in Hobart and educated at Elizabeth Street State School and Hobart High School, and at Hobart Technical College. He qualified as a pharmaceutical chemist in 1928 and in 1930 found a job looking after quality control for a Sydney baker. In 1931, he married Hazel Florence Greenwood and they later moved back to Hobart where he formed a partnership with his brother, Rex, that eventually owned three pharmacies. He joined the Royal Australian Navy in September 1940, and in February 1941, he was sent to England to train in bomb- and mine-disposal work. He returned to Australia and commanded the patrol boat Steady Hour, which assisted in destroying a Japanese midget submarine during the attack on Sydney Harbour in June 1942. He was put in command of the Fairmile B motor launch ML817 in January 1943, promoted to acting lieutenant commander in March and was involved in the New Guinea campaign.
Townley was opposed to Ben Chifley's bank nationalisation and won the Australian House of Representatives seat of Denison in the 1949 election for the Liberal Party of Australia. Robert Menzies valued his opinion and appointed him to a series of portfolios, starting with Social Services in May 1951, although Paul Hasluck considered Townley a "teacher's pet" and claimed that he had only "slight" administrative abilities. Menzies appointed Townley Minister for Air and Minister for Civil Aviation in July 1954, Minister for Immigration in October 1956, and Minister for Supply in February 1958.
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