Basil Arthur

Sir Basil Malcolm Arthur, 5th Baronet (18 September 1928 – 1 May 1985) served as Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 1984 to 1985. He was a member of the Labour Party.

Biography Early life and career Arthur was born in Timaru, New Zealand, and educated at Timaru Boys' High School.

He returned to New Zealand and found work as a hotel manager and on 5 January 1950 he married Elizabeth Rita Wells in Auckland. He soon after became a clerk for the Ministry of Works in Mangakino. Arthur had a preference for hard, physical activity and disliked clerical work. So he resigned three years later and worked in a series of labouring jobs subsequently. Whilst working in a sawmill, Arthur became secretary of the Waikato section of the New Zealand Workers' Union. In 1956 he was elected to the unions national executive, and served as president of the Auckland branch for three years.

His father, a hotel proprietor, inherited the title of 4th Baronet in 1941, and Arthur in turn inherited it on his father's death in 1949. However, he deliberately made little use of his title. The title fitted uneasily with his lifestyle as a working man and he kept it hidden. It was not until the mid-1950s, by which time he was working as a concrete layer, that it became known that he was a baronet. In 1979 he was appointed Shadow Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries by Labour leader Bill Rowling instead. He was additionally given the Forestry portfolio in 1982. He made a positive impression on colleagues and opponents leading the criticism of the controversial National Development Act and proposed reforms of national parks administration. His speeches in the House were "vigorous and forthright − without venom." During their period in opposition, Labour was beset by the perceived weakness of Rowling's leadership. Arthur was one of several speculated replacements. In contrast to Rowling, Arthur had a forceful presence in parliament and commanding voice (termed "Basil's Bellow").

When David Lange replaced Rowling as leader in 1983 Arthur was dropped from the front bench and lost the Agriculture and Forestry portfolios. He retained Fisheries and was made Shadow Minister for Lands and Rural Banking. By this time many parliamentary colleagues believed Arthur, with his length of service and poor health, belonged to the party's "old school of politicians". The Timaru District Council named a recreation reserve, located in Washdyke, Sir Basil Arthur Park in his honour.

Personal life In May 1983, Arthur divorced his first wife Beth. He remarried to Sandra Colleen Kennett (née Boaz) on 1 July 1983 at a small ceremony in Wellington. He embarrassingly dropped the ring during the ceremony where his daughter-in-law Carolyn was the bridesmaid and Labour MP Bob Tizard was the best man. His first wife Beth died in 1997.