Harold Coates

Harold George Coates, OBE (22 April 1917 – 9 April 2002) was an Australian politician who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1965–1976.

Harold Coates MP OBE
Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Hartley
In office 1 May 1965 – 23 January 1968
Preceded by	Jim Robson
Succeeded by	Abolished
Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Blue Mountains
In office 24 February 1968 – 2 April 1976
Preceded by	New division
Succeeded by	Mick Clough
Personal details
Born	22 April 1917 Hampton, New South Wales
Died	9 April 2002(2002-04-09) (aged 84) Lithgow, New South Wales
Political party	Independent
Spouse(s)	Kathleen
Children	4
Occupation	Builder

Political career

Coates entered public office as an alderman on the Lithgow City Council in 1945, where he served for almost forty years.[1] Coates was Mayor of Lithgow, New South Wales in 1947, from 1954 until 1957 and again in 1976.[2]

Coates first contested the seat of Hartley at the 1947 election as a Liberal candidate.[3] He again contested Hartley in 1962 as an independent, and came close to defeating Labor member Jim Robson in what had been a traditionally Labor seat. In 1965, Coates ran as an independent again and won the election on Democratic Labor Party preferences.[4] With no party winning an outright majority, Coates threw his support to the Liberal-National Coalition–a critical step in allowing the conservatives to form a minority government, ending 24 years in opposition.

Coates held the seat, renamed Blue Mountains in 1968, until he was swept out in the 1978 "Wranslide" by Labor's Mick Clough, his opponent in 1976. During elections between 1962 and 1978, the Liberals did not nominate a candidate against Coates. He was viewed as a conservative independent and generally supported the Coalition in parliament.

Personal life

Coates was born to George Coates and Emily Ivy Coates (née Moore) in Hampton, New South Wales on 22 April 1917.

Coates attended school Lithgow High School and Lithgow Technical College. He was a builder by trade, and he went on to succeed his father in running the family business, G.Coates and Sons Pty Ltd, a hardware store and timber yard in Lithgow.

In 1939 Coates married Kathleen Winchester and they had four children.

He was a long-standing Freemason, and served as Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory from 1980 to 1985.[5]

References

1. "Death Of Harold George Coates, OBE, A Former Member Of The Legislative Assembly". Parliament of New South Wales. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
2. "Mr Harold George Coates (1917-2002)". Former Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
3. "A by-election for Blue Mountains". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
4. "A by-election for Blue Mountains". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
5. "Grand Masters of the UGL of NSW & ACT". Museum of Freemasonry. Retrieved 6 August 2018.

New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Preceded by Jim Robson	Member for Hartley 1965 – 1968	Succeeded by Abolished
Preceded by New division	Member for Blue Mountains 1968 – 1976	Succeeded by Mick Clough