Bill was born at Ryde, New South Wales on Friday, 28 December 1956, the first of twins, and third of five children to John Edward Anderson and his wife Edith nee Warth). The other children were Kylie, Jonathan, David (his twin) and Robyn.

Bill’s first home was 54 Boronia Avenue, Epping, New South Wales, but he grew up in Brisbane (12 Montclair Street, Aspley) after the family transferred there with his father’s work in 1963. His father, John, worked close on forty years for the AMP Society, finishing as “Accountant, Tax” in AMP's head office in Sydney. The majority of Bill's schooling was in Brisbane, first at Aspley State School, and then as Aspley State High School. The last two years of his schooling were at North Sydney Boys' High School, the family having returned to Sydney, (8 Spruson Street, Neutral Bay) again as a result of another “transfer” in his father's work in 1973, after a stay of nearly ten years in Brisbane.

Bill completed a Bachelor's degree with honours in Engineering at the University of New South Wales in 1979. After working for the University “Membrane Research Group” for eighteen months, he joined a new start-up company, Memtec Laboratories Pty Limited, a subsidiary of Travenol Australian Pty Ltd, and part of the larger Baxter Corporation, the American hospital products manufacturer.

Memtec Laboratories Pty Limited's activities were in the membrane technology area, but in 1981, Baxter decided to close the business down. Four of the staff, Bill included, decided that they should buy the business off Baxter, and Memtec Limited started. Bill was founding Technical Advisor, though he always called himself “the littlest principal”, and was with the company for nine years to the day, finishing up as Intellectual Property Manager. At about the same time, Bill bought a house with his twin brother, David, at 10 Cox Crescent, Dundas.

Bill married Darlene Margret nee Jarrett) on 2 August 1986 at St Andrews Anglican Church, Dundas, New South Wales. In December, 1986, they moved to a five acre property at 50 Wattle Crescent, Glossodia, 85 kilometres north-west of Sydney, New South Wales. Bill’s two elder sons, James and Ben, were born in 1988 (June 7) and 1990 (August 6) at Hawkesbury District Hospital, Windsor, New South Wales. However, when Ben was only three weeks old, the family moved to 27 Hillcrest Street, Aspley, a northern suburb of Brisbane. Bill’s third son, Matt, was born in 1991 (October 18) at Northern Suburbs Hospital, McDowall, Queensland. In 2000, the family moved to 15 Corvette Crescent, Bracken Ridge where he now lives.

In 1990, Bill was employed by John Pizzey as a Technical Assistant, and in 1991 commenced studies as a Patent Attorney. Bill was in the founding class of the Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys Academy in 1999, and was registered as a Patent and Trade Marks Attorney in 2000. Bill was employed by the firm Ahearn Fox in Brisbane for 21 years, and retired to Lavington, New South Wales with Darlene.