Family background
William Joseph ‘Bill’ Beasley was born at Orange, NSW in 1907, the son of Willam Joseph Beasley and Mary Jane. In 1932 he married Thelma Mary Payne at Randwick. There were four children of the marriage: Terence, John, Helen and Dianne. Bill Beasley died at The Entrance on 16 September 1975, aged 68 years. Thelma Beasley died 20 September 2004, aged 96.
Occupation & interests
Bill Beasley operated a ham and beef store at 339 Glebe Point Road, and later worked as a clerk.
Community activity
The Labor Party’s Toxteth branch formed in 1940 was initially controlled by Ernie Pedersen but then challenged by Bill Beasley, creating Lang and McKell factions within the branch. A community centre movement in November 1948 urged continued use of Glebe Town Hall after Glebe lost its municipal identity on 1 January 1949. Beasley became leader of the movement. He was a vice-president of Glebe District Cricket Club.
Local government service
An unsuccessful Federal Labor (Lang) candidate at the 1931 municipal elections. Beasley headed the poll at the 1941 Glebe elections as a McKell candidate, aligned himself with the dominant Glebe team, and was re-elected in 1944 and made mayor. He nominated for the Federal seat of West Sydney in 1945. A foundation member of the DLP in NSW in 1956, and an unsuccessful DLP candidate for the City Council.
References
Hogan, Michael 2004, Local labor: a history of the Labor Party in Glebe, 1891-2003, Federation Press, Annandale, NSW
Sydney Morning Herald, 29 December 1931, p. 2
Sydney Morning Herald, 22 November 1948, p. 2
Sydney Morning Herald, 5 February 1941 p. 12
Sydney Morning Herald, 4 December 1944 p. 6
Sydney Morning Herald, 17 September 1975, p. 50
The Glebe, 24 September 1975