Labor pains
PICTURE The Past by Peter Begg ( GA, 1/1), featuring former Corio Liberal MHR, Sir Hubert Opperman, brought back memories.
As a young Geelong Addy journalist, I remember reporting on “Oppy” and then prime minister Robert Menzies at Geelong West Town Hall during the 1961 election campaign.
I was a member of the Young Labor Association back then, along with another young bloke, Gordon Scholes.
Oppy won the seat, as he did from 1949 until he retired in 1967, when that same Gordon Scholes won it for the ALP in a by-election. But there are other memories. In 1962, my wife-to-be and I decided to get married and head overseas.
There was a problem as my wife (now of 55 years) was a Dutch immigrant and had not been naturalised.
I got in touch with the then Mr Opperman, minister for shipping and transport, who kindly arranged a private naturalisation ceremony a week or so before our marriage.
He also arranged for me to pick up my wife’s new passport the Monday after our wedding on Saturday, June 2, 1962: the day we were due to sail to Europe. I was panicking, but everything went to plan and we were able to enjoy our working holiday/honeymoon, which somehow blew out from 12 months to more than five years.
When I left Australia I had letters of introduction to the British Labour Party from Arthur Calwell and to the London Fabian Society from Race Mathews, of the Melbourne Fabian Society.
A year later, working for The Scotsman newspaper, in Edinburgh, I was one of a team that reported the knighthood of Robert Menzies.
In Australia in 1963, a young Bob Hawke unsuccessfully stood for Corio against “Oppy”. I’ll return to that. Reporting the 1964 general election in the UK, I covered Labour opposition leader Harold Wilson, who won it and Conservative PM Alec DouglasHome.
It was during Mr Wilson’s prime ministership that I lost my Labor faith and I have not belonged to any political party since.
I returned to Australia in 1967 and home to Geelong in 1973. I was editor of this newspaper when Bob Hawke became prime minister in 1983.
In the mid-1980s, I was invited by Gordon Scholes to attend a dinner to be addressed by Mr Hawke during a Cabinet visit to Geelong and duly turned up to be greeted by a very small student demonstration.
Mr Hawke gave what I thought was a great speech and later in the evening Mr Scholes escorted him to various tables to meet the locals.
Eventually they reached the table I was seated at and I was introduced to the PM, who looked me straight in the eye and said something like: “The Geelong Advertiser … it’s the worst bloody rag in Australia … it crucified me when I stood against Opperman.”
Mr Scholes intervened saying something like: “Bob, Bob, they supported us in the last election ... the first time I can remember the Advertiser supporting Labor.”
The atmosphere changed, we had a brief chat and went our separate ways.
Unfortunately, instead of returning to the office, I decided to go home, thinking Mr Hawke’s speech would provide the main front page lead the following day.
Alas, when I opened my paper we had led on the student demonstration.
I had to attend a lunch in Cabinet’s honour that day, hosted by Geelong City Council, at Geelong Art Gallery. I arrived, fearing the worst and looked for a seat, hoping I would not be noticed by the PM. No such luck! He entered the room, almost immediately his gaze met mine, he pointed his finger at me and said in front of everyone: “And it’s still the worst bloody rag in Australia.” Ah, memories!