Education
Born in Melbourne to printer George Mitchell Cathie and Sybil Balding, he attended state schools and then the University of Melbourne, where he studied teaching.
Born in Melbourne to printer George Mitchell Cathie and Sybil Balding, he attended state schools and then the University of Melbourne, where he studied teaching.
He was president of the Peninsula Victorian Teachers Union in 1959 and taught at Frankston and Mordialloc-Chelsea High Schools, as well as serving on the council of Monash University from 1977 to 1982. In 1964 he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council as a Labor member for South Eastern Province. He was defeated in 1970, but in 1976 was elected to the Legislative Assembly seat of Carrum, which he held until 1988.
Ministerial appointments under the John Cain (Jnr) government include:
Minister of Housing 1982-1985
Minister of Economic Development December 1982-November 1983
Minister for Industry, Commerce and Technology 1983-1985
Minister for Education 1985-1987
Minister for the Arts and Minister Assisting the Minister for Education December 1987-October 1988
From 1994-1997 he was a Commissioner of the City of Greater Dandenong.
In 2010 he was elected President of Glen Eira University of the Third Age (U3A).