He was born in Foster to schoolteacher William Mountford Vale and Flora Ethel Reddick.
He then worked as a laboratory assistant for Australian Paper Manufacturers.
A Liberal Party member, Vale was a member of Diamond Valley Shire Council from 1964 to 1969, and from 1970 to 1973, serving as president from 1971 to 1972.
He was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 1967 as the member for Greensborough.
His son Roger Vale was a member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly.