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Minister's husband Hal Harvey dies,

Hal Harvey, the husband of Police Minister Liza Harvey, has died aged 55 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

A Government spokesman confirmed Mr Harvey passed away on Monday afternoon and asked that the privacy of the Harvey family be respected at this time.

Mrs Harvey has been on leave since late August to care for Mr Harvey and spend time with their three children, Sarah, Elizabeth and Jack.

Owner of the Bluewater Tackle fishing stores in Scarborough, Morley, Mindarie and Melville, Mr Harvey was a well known and highly respected figure in the local angling community, who wrote columns on fishing in several publications.

He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in June 2011.

Mr and Mrs Harvey built their chain of Bluewater Tackle stores from what began as Mr Harvey’s grandfather’s original Scarborough news agency and general store, the oldest shop in the suburb.

A quiet, kind man, Mr Harvey was a huge supporter of Mrs Harvey’s political career and he would regularly attend political and social functions with Mrs Harvey, even as his health declined.


Hal Harvey in his fishing store in 2008. File picture: The West Australian


In a column penned for Western Angler magazine in 2011 after his diagnosis, Mr Harvey said he had enjoyed going to work every day for 35 years, the distinction between work and recreation "either well blurred, or not there".

"I love going fishing, and I love going to work, and our businesses employ a lot of people who think the same. That may not fit the business textbook, but it’s very, very heart-warming," he wrote.

Battles over the former Gallop and Carpenter Labor governments’ approach to fisheries management sparked Mrs Harvey’s decision to run for the seat of Scarborough at the 2008 election, which she won.

Some of Mr Harvey’s favourite fishing spots were in WA’s north, around Kalbarri, Exmouth and Ningaloo.

In his final column for Western Angler, he said he had asked himself what he would do differently, before answering "not much".

"Believe me, I have had a long, hard look at it. I feel like I’ve been on track, which is rather nice," he wrote.

"It’s hard to be realistic without sounding defeatist about the future.

"People tell me to be strong. I’ll be that, and I’ll also never give up, however illogical that may sound. I do need a miracle to survive – medical or mystical, either will be gleefully received – and I can’t expect such a thing, but that’s no reason to give up.

"However I will take the prognosis to mean I no longer have to be bothered so much with sunscreen or restraining myself around dessert. Chicken and chips is back on the menu. There are positives.

"There is no profound closing paragraph this time. Life’s been good. I hope you’re enjoying it too."

Mr and Mrs Harvey tackled his illness with positivity and good humour, despite bleak prospects for recovery.

Earlier this month, Mr Harvey was baptised at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Scarborough.

In a post to Facebook three weeks ago, Mrs Harvey described her husband’s "Great Escape" - a cheeky day trip away from his St John of God Hospital hotel bed.

"Today he engineered his own "Great Escape" and took off with his mate Richard Cooper in Richard’s new Lotus down to Fremantle and back! This despite the fact that no medical expert appears to be able to explain how someone in Hal’s physical state is even functioning, let alone eating, talking and walking (albeit somewhat unsteadily at times!)," Mrs Harvey wrote.

"So there you have it - Never ever ever give up... a ride in brand new Lotus may be just around the corner."