A native of Birmingham, Don joined the R.A.F. as a fireman just weeks before the end of the Second World War. He and other members of his team were responsible for disposing of stores of mustard gas.
He met Doris Barbara (1927-1986) and they were married in 1948. They had three children, Philip (b. 1952 ), Colin (b. 1954) and Jill (b. 1960), now Ms. Thornhill.
In 1965 the Austin family moved to Wokingham where Don was employed as a technical representative for Croda and Evode. One of Don’s interests was languages and on his first day as Mayor in 1981, his first duty was to welcome the Burgermeister of Erfstadt, the twinned town of Wokingham, in German. He chose his wife, Doris, as his deputy-Mayor. A keen supported of charities, including those helping disabled people, he adopted the Ken Thomas Body Scanner Appeal. He also pledged his support for the International Year of the Disabled People.
During his Mayoral Term in 1981 he introduced the Mayor’s Market that was held inside the Town Hall up until 2015.
He was described as someone with a deep sense of responsibility and a doer rather than a talker. He was also interested in planning and schools.
Wokingham Town Museum Unique Identifier: WTH0075