William G. Bennett (architect)
William Garnsworthy Bennett (22 May 1896 – 25 November 1977) was a Western Australian architect, well known for his Art Deco and Inter-War Functionalist style of civic, commercial and domestic buildings, including the Lord Forrest Olympic Pool in Kalgoorlie, the Beverley Town Hall, the Raffles Hotel and Plaza Theatre and Arcade in Perth. Bennett was born in Victoria in 1896, and came to Western Australia with his family in 1910. He studied architectural drafting at Perth Technical School and joined the Young Australia League. In 1920, he was articled to architect Coote and, four years later, became the first locally trained architect to pass the Architect’s Board of Examination. He was awarded the first Bronze Medal of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (WA) the following year, and served as the Institute’s secretary from 1924–29. In 1931, he became the first West Australian architect to become an Associate (Overseas) Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects. Bennett was the first West Australian to hold the positions of president of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, and president of the Royal Australian Planning Institute. Before setting up practice on his own in 1936, William Bennett was in charge of the