Former Coffs Harbour High Student Becomes New WA Premier

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A former Coffs Harbour High School student has lead a landslide to become the 30th Premier of Western Australian.

Mark McGowan, along with his brother Mike, attended Coffs Harbour High School before Mark became a Navy Lawyer.

Mr McGowan's parents Dennis and Mary, who still reside in Coffs Harbour, headed west to support their son, towing their caravan 4000km.

The trip across the Nullabor is one that the now 49 year old Premier is familiar with, making the same trek 26 years ago in his Toyota Corolla when he was posted to HMAS Stirling at Garden Island.

While only getting to visit the Coffs Coast once a year with his family, Mr McGowan told of the days growing up in the region, where he almost died after being struck in the head by a squash racquet during a game that lead to a skull fracture.

The McGowan family owned and ran the local Squash Centre, with Mark's mother also working as a primary school teacher.

In his new role as Premier of WA, Mr McGowan told reporters on Sunday he would stand up to Canberra.

"That's what Western Australia needs," he said.

"You never give up, you never stop arguing the case. That's the only thing that works."

He says the will of a democratically-elected government cannot be ignored.

12 March 2017




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