John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the death of a person I did not spend a lot of my life with but for whom I have huge respect, and I refer to William Bernard Haskell, known as Bill Haskell. Bill was born on 9 May 1920 in Fremantle. He grew up in the pre-Depression and Depression period, and attended Richmond Primary School and Fremantle Boys High School. His first job was as a messenger boy in Fremantle, followed by general and junior clerical work at the Robb Jetty meatworks. He commenced part-time studies in accountancy around that time.

At the age of 19, he joined the 16th Battalion Cameron Highlanders and completed a three-month camp at Northam. In January 1940, Bill enlisted in the AIF and was an original member of the 2/3rd Machine Gun Battalion. Bill saw service in the Syrian campaign as a Vickers machine-gunner and later in Batavia—Jakarta. It was here that they engaged with a large Japanese invasion force, resulting in Bill becoming a prisoner of war. He spent nine months in a Javanese prison camp. Then, in January 1943, his unit was sent to Thailand to work on the infamous Thai-Burma Railway, where they were given heavy workloads whilst in a state of continuous starvation.

You would be well aware, Mr Deputy President, of the treatment POWs received and the sickness they experienced, including tropical ulcers, and the death of so many of them. It must have been such a horrid time for these prisoners. Upon completion of the railway, Bill was shipped to Japan where he spent approximately a year as a coalminer in an extremely harsh climate, especially during the Japanese winter. At war's end, Bill was taken to the Australian authorities in Manila before returning to Australia. Bill took his discharge in 1946 and returned immediately to his old job at Robb's Jetty. In July 1946, he joined the Commonwealth Public Service where he was posted to the Taxation Office. By 1949, he had finished his accountancy degree and, after 34 years service, retired in 1980.

Bill married local girl Dulcie Neave in 1948 and was blessed with three children—two sons and a daughter. Bill was grand­father to five and great grandfather to five. He was a keen sportsman, representing the state in the lacrosse team winning the all-Australian carnival. He had a keen interest in swimming and was instrumental in forming the Polar Bear Club at Port Beach.

Bill along with Lieutenant Colonel Weary Dunlop—Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop—commenced the Quiet Lion Tours to Thailand for Anzac Day and were later co-founders of the Burma Thailand Railway Memorial Association. Since then, in excess of 1,300 people have taken part in these tours, mainly for Anzac Day, taking young ones from the Freemantle area to Thailand for Anzac Day on the Thai-Burma railway. Bill played a major part in establishing the Weary Dunlop Boon Pong Exchange Fellowship, which has been responsible for training in excess of 60 young Thai doctors in specialist surgical fields under a mentoring scheme.

In 2004, Bill Haskell, was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for service to the community, particularly through establishing public educational tours to the Thai-Burma railway.

I had the pleasure of meeting Bill Haskell in Thailand in 2005, the first time I attended a dawn service ceremony on Anzac Day in Thailand. It was inspiring to meet the man. What amazed me was that these people have been through so much, yet I would describe them as such decent, placid gentlemen. When I went back in 2007, taking another group back to Thailand for Anzac Day, I took my three children, David, Rebecca and Tom. The night before the Anzac Day dawn service we had a gathering at the Boon Pong resort where my children had the opportunity to sit down with Bill Haskell and talk to him for some time. I remember my daughter, Rebecca, was inspired and mesmerised by Bill and his nature.

When I returned in 2008 I went up to shake Bill's hand and he said, 'John, do you have your children with you this year?' I said, 'Not this year, Bill.' He was sharp in the mind and a very decent man. I saw Bill Haskell on other occasions in 2008, 2009 and 2010. I recall one of the years when, after the dawn service in Thailand, we went to the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, where some 7,000 former prisoners of war are buried, at which Bill gave the address at the 11 o'clock service.

I had the pleasure of enjoying Bill's company. We would have a beer. Bill was a keen sportsman, as I have said. The sad news came on 1 May this year when Bill passed away at home in Fremantle. I spoke to my good friend Bill Slape, who is the manager of the Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum, just before Anzac Day and asked him whether Bill Haskell was going over this year along with people such as Neil MacPherson, who was there this year. He told me that Bill was not in good health. It was only a brief period after Anzac Day, on 1 May, that I got the news that Bill had sadly passed away. I could not make it to Fremantle to Bill's funeral, but I would like to thank Senator Cash who went to the funeral and met many of Bill's friends there.

I pay tribute to Bill. He was a great man and recognised in Australia. You cannot imagine how these people could suffer so much and yet, when returning from war, they simply got on with their lives. They had no counselling, no mentoring or anything; it was just, 'Get back to work, soldier, the war's over.' That is what many went through. It was amazing to meet people like Bill Haskell. That is why I stand tonight to pay tribute to Bill. Many people will miss him, me being one of them.